Zyaire Fernandez
A second defendant also charged for allegedly concealing murder weapon
Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced today that two men were arraigned on an indictment charging them in connection with the March 2023 murder of 14-year-old Zyaire Fernandez in Mount Vernon.
DA Rocah said: “Our hearts are with the family of Zyaire Fernandez and the Mount Vernon community traumatized by this senseless gun violence that took a young life. I am grateful to our law enforcement partners who worked closely with us to investigate this case and ensure that the defendants will face charges in a court of law.”
A Westchester County Grand Jury indicted Tyrese Coghiel, 21, of Mount Vernon, for Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, both felonies, and Phillip Ferrell, 46, of Yonkers, for Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, three counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree, Hindering Prosecution in the Second Degree and Tampering with Physical Evidence, all felonies. Coghiel was arraigned in Westchester County Court on May 5, 2023, and remanded, and Ferrell was arraigned on May 12, 2023. Bail was previously set and Ferrell remains in custody at the Westchester County Jail.
On March 9, 2023, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Coghiel allegedly used a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol to shoot the victim in the back on South 7th Avenue in Mount Vernon. The victim was transported to Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital, where he died. Ferrell is charged with allegedly possessing the murder weapon and attempting to conceal it, as well as possessing two explosive devices in his Yonkers home.
The defendants were arrested – Coghiel in Brooklyn and Ferrell in Yonkers – on March 14, 2023, following an investigation conducted by the Mount Vernon Police Department, the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. The Westchester County Department of Public Safety’s Real Time Crime Center and Bomb Squad assisted with the investigation.
The case is before Judge Robert Prisco in Westchester County Court, and is being prosecuted by Homicide Bureau Chief Lana Hochheiser and Assistant District Attorney Adrian Murphy, both of the Trials and Investigations Division.
The charges against the defendants are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
