Elmhurst man convicted of murder, attempted murder in two-week stabbing spree: DA

Mark Albano, 39, of 82nd Street, was convicted by a jury on May 14 of murder in the second degree, three counts of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree and other crimes during four attacks during the two-week period. The jury deliberated for just five hours before reaching the guilty verdict.

According to the charges and trial testimony, at around 3:30 a.m. on April 23, 2021, Albano approached 57-year-old Leroy Williams on the platform of the Grand Avenue station about a mile from his home and stabbed the victim once in the chest before running off. He discarded the jacket he was wearing in a trash can a few blocks from the station. EMS rushed Williams to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

On May 3, 2021, Albano approached a man from behind on 35th Avenue in Astoria and stabbed him once in the neck and fled. The victim was taken to an area hospital for stitches. Four days later, at approximately 8 p.m., Albano followed his third victim on 51st Avenue near 90th Street in Elmhurst. Without provocation, Albano drew closer to the 31-year-old man and stabbed him in the back of his neck. The victim fell to the ground in pain but was able to see Albano running away from him carrying a bag. The victim’s spinal cord was severed, and he sustained permanent injuries from the attack.

The next day, May 8, at approximately 5:15 a.m., Albano confronted a 40-year-old man in a reputed gambling den in the basement of a building on Van Loon Street in Elmhurst. Albano pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in his arm and armpit. Police from the 110th Precinct responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress and found the victim lying in a pool of blood. He was rushed to an area hospital, where he needed both stitches and staples to close the stab wounds. Police apprehended Albano a few blocks away from the Van Loon Street crime scene, carrying a bag that contained a knife.

“This defendant went on a completely unprovoked stabbing spree on the streets of Astoria and Elmhurst,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “One incident cost a man his life and another left an unsuspecting victim with permanent injuries.”

Albano was additionally charged with two counts of attempted assault in the first degree, three counts of attempted murder in the second degree, and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant ordered Albano to return to court on July 24 for sentencing.

“The jury has spoken, and the defendant now faces up to 100 years to life in prison,” Katz said. “We hope the verdict provides a measure of solace to the victims’ loved ones.”