Cornelia Street Café Chef's Killer Convicted, Brooklyn DA Says

NEW YORK CITY — A chef from a beloved Greenwich Village cafe was viciously murdered by a Brooklyn man who stabbed him more than 30 times in his sleep, a Brooklyn jury ruled this week.

Jahkeem Scott, 21, was found guilty Thursday of murdering Cornelia Street Cafe Chef Romulo Heras, 61, 31 times in his home on TKTK the morning of Jan. 22, 2016, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office announced.

“A beloved family man and popular chef was senselessly and brutally murdered in his home," said District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. "This verdict is a small measure of justice for Romulo Heras’s wife, children and grandchildren."

Scott, of Cypress Hills, crept into Heras' home about 9 a.m. to commence a burglary attempt that turned brutally violent, said prosecutors.

When Scott found the night chef sleeping, he repeatedly stabbed him in the body, neck and head, then stole laundry bags full of his possessions, according to Brooklyn prosecutors.

Scott then set six fires in Heras' home in a failed attempt to cover his tracks, prosecutors said.

But firefighters quickly discovered Heras' body, launched an investigation, and Scott was arrested in Virginia after four months on the run, prosecutors said.

Scott could face up to 25 years to life in prison when sentenced in Brooklyn Criminal Court next month, prosecutors said.