Fleeing Westchester County Murder Suspect Now Arraigned After Out of State Capture

A long awaited day finally arrived late last week in Westchester County Court when a suspect in recent murder investigation in the city finally had his day court as he faced arraignment. Arriving to this day was not easy and took a great deal of effort, work and resources from law enforcement to see this day came to be.

Murder in Mount Vernon

The incident in question which lead to this inevitable day in court occurred last month in the beginning of August. According to the press release issued by the Mount Vernon Police Department through both their Facebook and Instagram platforms, the events of this case began on the night of August 1, 2024.

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At approximately 10:20pm on that night, patrol units from the Mount Vernon Police Department were dispatched to the Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital for reports of a victim in an apparent stabbing. Upon arrival, law enforcement discovered that the victim, identified as 37-year old Mount Vernon resident Michael Clay had been stabbed multiple times in both his arm and chest.

The wounds suffered by Mr. Clay proved to be to severe and he was later pronounced deceased at the hospital. With this information, officers hit the streets and began a search for where the stabbing took place. They would quickly find that location and secured a crime scene at 204 Union Avenue.

Suspect on the Run

After the crime scene was secured, it was not long before Detectives arrived on the scene and immidiately began their investigation. In nearly as quick fashion, investigators soon identified a suspect in the attack. That suspect was identified as 34-year old Mount Vernon resident Ronald “Eueu” Hechavarria.

The press release does not clearly state what methods were used or what information was gathered that lead investigators to identifying Hechavarria but the investigation did continue into locating him.

As law enforcement continued their investigation, they learned that Hechavarria fled New York State in an attempt to evade the law. The investigation would continue and in the following days Law enforcement would locate Hechavarria.

On August 12, 2024 with assistance from the Norfolk Police Department, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force in Norfolk, and the Westchester County FBI Safe Streets Task Force, law enforcement was successfully able to apprehend Hechavarria in Norfolk Virginia.

Continue Reading: Rockland County Murder Suspect Finally Arraigned in Months Long Investigation

Suspects Day in Court

One month after his arrest on September 12, 2024 the Westchester County Department of Public Safety Warrant Fugitive Unit took custody of Hechavarria and transported from Norfolk back to Mount Vernon.

Upon arrival, Hechavarria was handed over to the Major Case Detectives and was formally booked on charges of Murder in the 2nd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree.

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The following day on September 13, Hechavarria appeared in Westchester County Court where he was officially arraigned on the charges. After the arraignment, Hechavarria was remanded to the Westchester County Jail. The press release did not state when the next time Hechavarria is expected to be back in court.

The release concluded with the Mount Vernon Police Department thanking all of the various law enforcement agencies that participated in the investigation and aided in apprehending the suspect. The assistance was characterized as "invaluable" and that the collaborative efforts were vital in "ensuring justice is served".