Judge Gregory Lasak, assigned to the Karina Vetrano murder case, set to retire, officials say
Judge Gregory Lasak in 2003. Credit: Newsday / Alan Raia
The Queens judge handling the Karina Vetrano murder case plans to retire by mid-September, according to court officials and law enforcement sources.
Queens state Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak, 64, who was re-elected in November, told officials of his retirement plans last week, court officials said.
Lasak’s office voicemail system said he was due back from vacation Monday, but he didn’t return calls seeking comment.
Lasak has been handling the case of Chanel Lewis, charged with murder in the August 2016 slaying of jogger Vetrano in Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach. He had scheduled a trial date for October. Legal experts said that when Lasak leaves the bench, his case will be reassigned, but that any legal decisions he has made about the admissibility of evidence will stand.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown confirmed Lasak would be leaving, issuing a statement: “Judge Lasak is a talented, capable and senior trial judge who has handled some of our most important and difficult cases. He will be missed.”
A spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration said he was aware of Lasak’s plans, but that the agency’s payroll office has not officially been notified.
Lasak, 64, served in the district attorney’s office under Brown before resigning to become a judge in 2003. Brown, 85, who has Parkinson’s disease, has said he would like to run for re-election in November 2019. Lasak has been mentioned as a possible successor to Brown.
Lasak was known as “Mr. Murder” during his time in the district attorney’s office because he specialized in homicide cases. He has a reputation for being a tough-sentencing jurist.
In December, he sentenced the killer of NYPD Officer Brian Moore of Plainedge to life in prison without parole. In sentencing defendant Demetrius Blackwell, 37, Lasak called him a “coward” who should die in prison.
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.
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