Man indicted in beating deaths of 4 homeless men, officials say

A Manhattan grand jury has indicted Randy Santos, the 24-year-old man accused of beating to death four homeless men in Chinatown last Saturday, officials said.

A spokesman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said a certificate of “affirmative grand jury action” had been filed, a signal that an indictment had been voted. The spokesman wouldn’t identify the charges but they likely included four counts of murder, as well as one count of attempted murder to cover the case of one victim who was severely injured in the attack.

Defense attorney Arnold Levine couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

Santos was accused by police of going on a bloody rampage in Chinatown early on Oct. 5 in the area of Chatham Square, beating the men with a metal object as they slept. Santos was seen leaving they area via nearby Doyers Street and was arrested near Canal Street in the possession of a bloody metal object, police said. He is being held without bail.

The victims all suffered severe head trauma with skull fractures and brain injury, the city medical examiner said. Police are looking into the possibility that Santos may have assaulted another man last month by the Chelsea Piers on the west side of Manhattan.             

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.com

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.