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Ex-Con Ordered Held Without Bail in Deadly Subway Push

By Eddie Small | November 19, 2014 8:43pm
 Kevin Darden was ordered held without bail at his arraignment on Wednesday.
Kevin Darden was ordered held without bail at his arraignment on Wednesday.
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NYPD

THE BRONX — The man accused of pushing a 61-year-old father to his death in front of a subway train was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Wednesday evening.

Kevin Darden, who was arrested on Tuesday near his mother's house, shoved Wai Kuen Kwok, a stranger, in front of the D train at the 167th Street stop around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, according to police.

Darden, 34, shuffled slowly into his arraignment at Bronx Criminal Court wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. He maintained a blank expression and did not speak throughout the proceedings.

"Kevin Darden is a human being," his lawyer Edward McGowan said. "He's not a monster."

Darden has a lengthy criminal history spanning multiple states, and he was released from jail just two days before allegedly shoving Kwok, police said.

He has been arrested more than 30 times, most recently on Nov. 9, when he was charged with pickpocketing near Times Square.

Bail for that case was set at $1,000, but Darden was released after the complaining witness left the United States and could not be reached, according to a law enforcement source.

However, this case remains open, with the next court date scheduled for Jan. 14.

Darden was also arrested in 2011 in Longview, Texas for trying to burn down his brother Sean Bivens' house, according to Johnny Zackary, fire marshal of the Longview Fire Department.

He was charged with arson, but the case did not move forward to the district attorney's office due to lack of evidence, Zackary said.

Darden is due back in court on Nov. 24.