An ex-con accused of pushing a Bronx man off a subway platform to his death was indicted Monday, according to the Bronx district attorney’s office.
Kevin Darden, 34, allegedly pushed 61-year-old Wai Kuen Kwok at the East 167th Street station in the Bronx on Nov. 16, according to the DA’s office. Darden was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.
Darden allegedly shoved Kwok, whom he did not know, into the path of a southbound D train at about 8:45 a.m. while his wife stood by watching, police have said.
Darden pleaded not guilty and was held without bail, a spokeswoman for the DA’s office said. Darden’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Darden, who has an extensive criminal history with more than 30 prior arrests and several incarcerations, was released from jail on a technicality just two days before Kwok was killed, a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case has said. Darden had been arrested one week before when he allegedly put his hand near a tourist’s jacket pocket in Times Square just before 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 9, according to the criminal complaint.
In that incident, Darden was charged with misdemeanor jostling. The DA’s office had a signed complaint but needed a supporting deposition from the victim, who had returned to her country before they could secure it. The judge had no choice but to let Darden go on his own recognizance on Nov. 14, the law enforcement official said.
