Colombian National Yonatan Galvez-Marin Convicted of Manslaughter in Queens
Yonatan Galvez-Marin, a Colombian national, has been convicted of manslaughter in Queens, New York, resolving a long-standing legal battle concerning the 2016 death of Nazma Khanam. The 60-year-old victim, who was the aunt of a New York Police Department officer, was fatally stabbed during an attempted robbery while walking home with her husband in the Jamaica Hills neighborhood.
Galvez-Marin was originally found guilty of second-degree murder in 2018 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. However, that conviction was overturned in March 2024 by an appellate court, which ruled that statements Galvez-Marin made to detectives were obtained improperly and should have been suppressed. This judicial reversal necessitated a new legal proceeding, ultimately resulting in the recent conviction for manslaughter rather than the original murder charge.
The case has reignited contentious debates regarding immigration policy and public safety. Galvez-Marin is identified as an undocumented national, a status that critics argue highlights systemic failures in federal border enforcement and the risks associated with the presence of criminal foreign nationals. Conversely, legal experts and civil rights advocates emphasize that the appellate court’s intervention demonstrates the necessity of upholding due process and constitutional protections regarding police interrogation methods, regardless of a defendant’s citizenship or immigration status.
qns.com
