OZONE PARK — A grand jury has indicted a Brooklyn man accused of brutally killing an imam and his assistant near their mosque with first and second degree murder charges, even after a witness failed to pick him out of the lineup, according to the Queens District Attorney's office.
Oscar Morel, 36, was charged with shooting imam Maulana Akonjee and Thara Uddin in the back of the head with a loaded revolver on Saturday, Aug. 13 as the pair walked from afternoon prayers at Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque, the Queens DA said.
He was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon.
“The defendant’s alleged actions strike at the very heart of our county’s Muslim community," DA Richard Brown said.
"Both victims were gentle men of peace and their deaths are a devastating loss to their families and the community that they served."
Last week, Assistant District Attorney Peter McCormack called Morel a "cold-blooded assassination"
If convicted, he faces up to life in prison without parole, according to the DA's office. He's been held without bail at Rikers Island since Aug. 17.
At a brief court date Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Peter McCormack told the judge a witness in the case had a "mis-hit" in a police lineup, identifying someone other than the suspect.
Morel's lawyer Michael J. Schwed later said it showed there were issues in the case.
"[The witness] went there with the thought in his head that he had to pick somebody out, and if that's the case how do you know the people are picking out the right person?" he said outside court.
Morel's family attended Thursday's hearing to show support on the suspect's 36th birthday.
Schwed could not immediately be reached for comment following the grand jury charges.
