Related
Authorities say Freddie Perez has already confessed to being involved in Nikolette’s murder. The 30-year-old waived his preliminary hearing, moving forward to trial proceedings on murder, attempted murder and related offenses.
But Tayvon Thomas sat through his hearing on Tuesday and listened to Nikolette’s mother retell how she watched her child die.
After a hail of gunfire on Oct. 20, she said Nikolette was shot in the head and blown out of her arms, landing on the floor. Pieces of the child’s head followed to the ground, she said.
The pair had been standing in the living room of their home on Water Street, speaking with a man who was about to clean the carpets.
That man, who was also shot, said it felt like he was thrown into the nearby TV stand.
He was there for mere minutes before he was hit.
Bullet fragments also struck and damaged his hand, maybe permanently. He said he hasn’t worked since the tragedy because he feels pain and pressure.
Prosecutors say it was Thomas who fired the fatal blow into Nikolette’s head, and homicide detectives testified to statements he made during an interview.
Authorities say Perez and Thomas wanted to reclaim their drug territory, and they were targeting Nikolette’s father, who was not home at the time.
Prosecutors tacked on weapons offenses as well, and Thomas was held on all charges.
Both men will be formally arraigned next month.