NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A man pleaded guilty to the 2020 death of the mother of his two children who was found months later in the trunk of his abandoned car, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday.
Kareem Flake, 31, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing the 26-year-old mother of his two children in November 2020.
According to the charges, Destini Smothers, 26, was last seen in a car with Flake after celebrating her birthday with friends at a Woodside bowling alley on November 3, 2020.
Smothers was reported missing on November 8, 2020.
The victim's remains were discovered on March 10, 2021 inside a Toyota Camry that had been abandoned at the intersection of 134th Avenue and 151st Place in South Jamaica was being towed when the tow truck operator saw a flat tire on the vehicle.
The operator pulled over and opened the trunk to look for a spare in the trunk and discovered the decomposing remains of the victim and immediately notified authorities.
Officials determined the abandoned car belonging to Flake.
An autopsy performed by the New York City Medical Examiner found that Smothers died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Flake was arrested on April 9, 2022, in Osceola County, Florida, and later extradited to New York.
"This young mother was brutally murdered and her family left to agonize, not knowing what happened to her as her body lay in the trunk of an abandoned car for months. Hopefully this plea will afford some comfort to her loved ones," District Attorney Katz said.
Flake will be sentenced on September 28, to a determinate term of 22 years in prison to be followed by five years post-release supervision.
