You are reading

Woman sentenced for strangling man to death with shoelace in Astoria Park

Astoriapark21

March 26, 2015 By Michael Florio

A 33-year-old woman was sentenced to 17 years in prison today for her role in the brutal death of a man in Astoria Park on July 7, 2010.

Kelly Harnett, from Shore Blvd in Astoria, was convicted of killing Ruben Vargas, 32, by choking him with a shoelace and kicking him repeatedly in the head and torso while he lay on the ground motionless.

Vargas was walking through Astoria Park at about 4 am when Harnett and another defendant Thomas Donovan attacked him.

“The victim was robbed of his wallet and viciously beaten and choked to death,” said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “This willful act of violence warranted a lengthy prison term.”

Harnett was convicted of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Donovan pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter in 2010 and is serving a 15-year prison sentence.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

2 Comments

Click for Comments 
Kramden's Delicious Marshall

She got off lightly. This was a brutal, deliberate murder committed during a robbery. Why was it classified second degree, not first? She must have cut a deal to rat out the boyfriend.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.