QUEENS — The woman connected to the fatal punching of a 64-year-old Briarwood man for bumping her is no longer wanted by police, and her husband no longer faces criminally negligent homicide charges, authorities said Thursday.
Police said Mathew Smith, 42, hit Patrick Gorman, 64, on the corner of Main Street and Queens Boulevard in Briarwood on June 26.
In the footage released Nov. 2, Smith punches Gorman in the head. The victim, who lived in an apartment building on that intersection, is seen struggling to get up, as Smith and his wife, Elena Makarova, 39, calmly walk away.
Credit: NYPD
Smith turned himself in to police on Nov. 7 and was initially charged with criminally negligent homicide and assault with intent to cause physical injury, the NYPD said.
At first, Makarova was also identified as one of the suspects, but an NYPD spokeswoman told DNAinfo New York Thursday that police were no longer looking for her.
“We were looking for her because she was with him [when the incident took place],” the spokeswoman said.
Makarova briefly spoke to DNAinfo Wednesday night in front of her Briarwood residence.
"The media portrayed me as a monster," she said, but declined to discuss the case without her lawyer.
The NYPD spokeswoman also said that Makarova could still face criminal charges in the future, depending on the investigation.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have dropped the criminally negligent homicide charge against Smith, according to court records. He is still being charged with assult.
The Queens District Attorney's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on why the charges changed.
The city medical examiner's office deemed Gorman's death a homicide on Oct. 29, prompting the NYPD to release the footage showing the incident.
According to Smith's criminal complaint, he "punched the victim, Patrick Gorman, one time in the face," causing him to fall. The victim later suffered a stroke and concussion and died several hours later at Jamaica Hospital, court papers indicated.
Elena Makarova and Mathew Smith (Credit: NYPD)
Prior to the incident, the couple was on the bus with Gorman when he bumped into Smith's wife, police said.
Hours later, Smith bragged about the incident on Facebook.
“I had to put my hands on somebody last night smdh,” Smith posted. “I don't feel bad for protecting mine at all, I'd do it again. I feel bad for how he got folded up. Hahaha it was ugly lol."
His Facebook page appeared to have been deleted last week.
Smith was arraigned Tuesday and is being held on $10,000 bail, according to court records. He is due back in court on Nov. 22.
His lawyer declined to comment Thursday.
