Jamaica Woman Charged With Killing Aunt With Meat Cleaver

JAMAICA, QUEENS — A Jamaica women was in jail Monday on charges of murdering her aunt with a meat cleaver, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced.

Jamaica resident Elizabeth Sanchez, 30, is being held in Queens Criminal Court with charges of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to a Saturday press release from the DA's office. Sanchez faces up to 25 years in prison, if found guilty.

Sanchez allegedly struck her aunt, Maria Palaguachi, 50, multiple times on the head, neck and shoulders with a meat cleaver on the morning of March 16 in their Jamaica home located on 174th Street. The meat cleaver was recovered inside the residence. DA's office did not identify a motive for the murder.

Police had received seven calls for domestic disturbances from the house in the recent years, according to NY Daily News.

“It is alleged that the victim in this case was brutally attacked with a meat cleaver by her niece and suffered multiple wounds that proved fatal. The defendant now faces a lengthy time behind bars for her alleged actions,” Brown said in the announcement.

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