Queens Man Charged With Murder After Girlfriend's Body Found in Beach Grave, Days After He Reported Her Missing

Queens man Rogelio Lozano-Garita was arraigned on a murder charge on Wednesday after his girlfriend's body was discovered in a beach grave at Rockaway Community Park, days after he reported her missing, prosecutors announced.

Seraphina Pereira, 35, lived with Lozano-Garita, 26, in Edgemere alongside their two young children and her child from a previous relationship. Prosecutors allege he shot her on 19 October, then transported her body to the park and buried it before calling police on 21 October.

Lozano-Garita pleaded not guilty, according to court records cited in coverage of the case. Queens Criminal Court Judge Thomas Wright-Fernandez ordered him held without bail.

Queens Man Remanded After Murder Charge

The criminal complaint charges Lozano-Garita with second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.

In her statement announcing the charges, Katz stated, 'As alleged, the defendant mercilessly killed his girlfriend — the mother of his children. He attempted to cover up the crime by wheeling her body in a pull wagon to a nearby park and burying the woman in a shallow grave. I want to thank my Assistant District Attorneys and our law enforcement partners for making sure there will be accountability in this homicide.'

Alleged Beach Burial in Queens Man's Case

Katz's account of the charges and investigation places the shooting between 2:16am and 6:04am on 19 October. Prosecutors allege Lozano-Garita shot Pereira in the head during that period.

The shooting allegedly took place inside an apartment at 343 Beach 54th Street. Police identified Pereira's home as part of Ocean Bay Apartments, a New York City Housing Authority complex.

The city's chief medical examiner ruled her death a homicide on Monday and determined that she had been shot in the head, neck and torso, officials stated.

After the shooting, prosecutors allege, Lozano-Garita concealed Pereira's body in a pull wagon and wheeled it to the beach at Rockaway Community Park. They allege he buried her in a shallow grave there before returning home a short time later without the wagon.

Missing-Person Call Preceded Queens Man's Arrest

On 21 October, two days after the alleged shooting, Lozano-Garita called 911 to report Pereira missing, the district attorney's office stated.

He told police that a box containing her belongings had been delivered to his apartment building. His account included a note from a surfer who, he claimed, had discovered the belongings on the beach.

Pereira's remains were discovered in a shallow grave on the night of 24 October after an NYPD K9 unit searched the beach. Officials placed the discovery just before 10pm near a cricket field close to Beach 58th Street and Almeda Avenue, about half a mile (0.8 kilometre) from her home.

Pereira's remains were located three days after the missing-person call and five days after the alleged shooting. Police stated that Lozano-Garita was taken into custody on Monday, before his arraignment on the criminal complaint.

Assistant District Attorney Eric Weinstein, of the Homicide Bureau, is prosecuting the case with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Lindsey Ruzza.

Lozano-Garita faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted, according to the district attorney's office.