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Berkley slashed the victim twice on the left side of her face on 147th Street near 13 Avenue.
Extradition from Pennsylvania has led to the arraignment of a man indicted by the Queens County grand jury last year for slashing a 16-year-old girl walking to school.
Devon Berkley, 38, of Allentown, who was extradited from Pennsylvania this week, was arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory L. Lasak on an indictment charging him with first- and second-degree assault, fourth-degree conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
A second individual, Wilson Lai, 25, of Oakland Gardens was arraigned last May and charged with first- and second-degree assault, fourth-degree conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second- and third-degree rape, second- and third-degree criminal sexual act, third-degree criminal mischief, second-degree aggravated mischief and second-degree harassment.
District Attorney Brown described the defendant’s actions as heinous pointing out both defendants were planning “to physically assault a teenage girl without warning or provocation, DA Brown said. “In what can only be described as a sick twist of fate, the victim slashed was actually a victim of mistaken identity.”
The DA’s office says Berkley and Lai were targeting a 14-year-old girl who had sexual relationship with one of them. Instead they attacked another 14-year-old in a case of mistaken identity. “Now, for the rest of her life, the victim must bear the physical and emotional scars brought about by the defendants’ alleged mistaken actions,” DA Brown said.
According to the charges, Lai had a one-year sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl that began in June 2013. More than two years later, Lai and Berkley conspired to assault the teen Lai had been involved with. On December 16, 2015, Berkley mistook a Chinese exchange student- living at the same address and being the same age as the intended target- and surprised her as she walked toward school. Berkley slashed the victim repeatedly, leaving two long scars down the left side of her face.
It is believed that one month after the slashing attack that Lai acted in concert with two other co-conspirators on January 4, 2016, and damaged a vehicle belonging to the intended target’s family. The vehicle’s tires were allegedly punctured and other damage was inflicted on the body of the vehicle. During the incident, a note was left on the vehicle stating that the wrong girl was attacked and that the intended target was next.
If convicted, Lai faces up to 32 years in prison and Berkley will face 25.
