Report: Teen Accused of Murder Released After New York Judge Dismisses Indictment

A New York Supreme Court judge dismissed an indictment charge against a 17-year-old accused of murdering an innocent 21-year-old man named Saikou Koma during a failed gang hit, allowing the teen to walk free, according to a report.

The Bronx District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Bronx Supreme Court Judge Naita Semaj dismissed the indictment charge against Steven Mendez, 17, on Tuesday, the New York Post reported. She found detectives’ testimony in Grand Jury proceedings to be “improper” and “problematic,” the outlet noted, citing court documents.

“The Court finds that the Grand Jury Proceedings were impaired, and that the defendant was clearly prejudiced,” she wrote.

Semaj released Mendez on his own recognizance, and prosecutors will again have to present their case in front of a grand jury in the next 45 days, according to the Post. The Bronx District Attorney’s Office noted it intends to do precisely that.

Mark Bederow, a current criminal defense attorney and former Manhattan prosecutor, said the criminal procedure allows for the state to keep an individual in custody after an indictment dismissal in  circumstances such as those as in Mendez’s case. He called the move to let him go free both “stunning” and “virtually unprecedented.” 

Haja Kaira, who is Koma’s mother, said she burst out crying in disbelief while watching Mendez’s hearing via an internet stream and suggested Semaj did not value her son’s life.

She noted that an assistant district attorney was pushing for a life sentence or at least the maximum sentence.

Mendez and additional reputed gang members allegedly found Koma on Ryer Avenue in Fordham Heights on October 24, while allegedly out for revenge after one of their gang members was beaten, the Post said. Sources told the Post that Koma was likely mistaken for another individual, adding that Mendez fatally shot him in the head.

Sources told the Post that Mendez had at least three prior incidents with law enforcement prior to his alleged murder of Koma. In 2019, after his mother would not give him money, Mendez allegedly slapped and aimed a .357 at her. In July 2020, an individual was shot in the leg during a robbery, and Mendez was charged as an accomplice in the case. He was charged with felony gun possession, first-degree robbery, and first-degree assault and was prosecuted as a youthful offender. 

Former Bronx Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle sentenced him to five years probation in May 2021, which is a far cry from the maximum penalty of four years in prison Boyle could have sentenced the teen to under youthful offender status, according to Fox.