Suspect Arrested For Fatal Stabbing Of Divorce Lawyer Believed To Be Disgruntled Client

New York Police Department launched a murder investigation following the fatal stabbing of a Queens lawyer. 65-year-old Charles Zolot was found unresponsive in his Jackson Heights, New York office. Nearly a week since his death, a suspect 64-year-old Nando Perez from the Bronx has been arrested. It is believed that the suspect was a client of the deceased lawyer.

The custodian of the building on 82nd Ave. in Jackson Heights made the gruesome discovery on Thursday, August 5 at around 5:50 a.m. Entering the second-floor Law Office of Charles Zolot the man found the lawyer unresponsive.

Emergency services were alerted by the custodian. First responders discovered that the man had been stabbed in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene, NBC New York reported. The police launched a murder investigation. Zolot’s body was sent for post mortem examination.

According to ABC7, the post mortem revealed the victim had been viciously stabbed around 20 times during the fatal attack. Surveillance footage of the building allowed the police to identify a suspect. The night before Zolot was found dead, he was seen entering the building with Perez and another man.

Based on the surveillance footage and other evidence the police took Perez of East 167th Street, the Bronx into custody. He has been charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. New York Post’s sources claim that the suspect was a client of the deceased lawyer. He reportedly was unhappy over a home foreclosure case that he had hired Zolot for. Authorities have not revealed any relation between the suspect and the victim. No clear motive has been confirmed by the police. The other man who entered the building with Zolot and Perez had not been arrested as well.

As the investigation continues, those who knew Zolot mourn his loss. Friends and family remember him as a kind person. Other attorneys remember him as a likable and pleasant person. They claim that he was not the kind of person to have an enemy who would have wanted to cause him harm.

Zolot, who lived in Briarwood, had been practicing law in New York since 1982. According to his website, the acclaimed divorce lawyer also offered other legal services. He specialized in family law and also had experience in handling bankruptcy cases.