March 6, 2014 By Christian Murray
A New York lawyer who killed his girlfriend in their Astoria apartment in 2012 was convicted of first-degree murder yesterday.
Jason Bohn, 35, of 28-25 33rd Street in Astoria, was found guilty following a seven-week jury trial where he was accused of strangling and beating Danielle Thomas, 27, to death.
The jury convicted him after listening to some harrowing evidence—including a recording where Thomas begged for her life as he defendant tortured and ultimately killed her.
Bohn’s deadly assault was captured in a cell phone recording received by an acquaintance of hers in what is believed to have been an accidental dialing of the friend’s number.
In the recording, Thomas is heard begging Bohn for her life as he strangles her, demanding to know why she had called a certain area code, and saying to her: “This is your life” to which she replies: “I know.” Bohn continues to assault her, saying things like: “Danielle, you don’t have a lot of time” and ignoring her as she says, “Jason, I can’t breathe.”
“The jury bravely listened and correctly returned a verdict of first-degree murder,” said District Attorney Richard Brown. The jury found that “the defendant acted in an especially cruel and wanton manner pursuant to a course of conduct intended to inflict and inflicting torture upon the victim prior to the victim’s death.”
Brown said Bohn has justly been held accountable for his actions and it is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.
According to the trial testimony, police were called to Bohn’s apartment on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, and discovered Thomas’s body laying face up in the bathtub surrounded by bags of ice. There was bruising on her forehead, face, shoulders, chest and neck, as well as lacerations on her face, mouth and chest. According to the Medical Examiner’s Office, the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the neck and torso.
When the police arrived on the scene, they also found two handwritten notes on Thomas’ body. The first note stated, in substance, “It was an accident . . . I had been drinking and I was drunk when I got home . . . She was already asleep . . . I woke up and there was fighting between us . . . When I woke up again she was unconscious . . . I am sorry.” The second note read, in substance, “Dani, I will love you forever.” and was signed “J.”
Bohn is scheduled to sentenced April 2.
According to the trial testimony, Thomas had gone to the 114th Precinct on June 7, 2012, and reported that Bohn had beat her and was harassing her by sending threatening e-mails and text messages. While Thomas was at the precinct, Bohn called her cell phone and a police sergeant heard Bohn say, among other things, that ‘this was war, that he would hunt her down like a dog in the streets, and make her life impossible.’
Bohn was arrested that day and charged with assault and aggravated harassment. Thomas was provided with an order of protection. Those charges were pending at the time of Thomas’ death.
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