(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Duntrell R. Thomas, 30, of Mastic Beach, was indicted for Murder in the Second Degree and other related offenses, for allegedly beating 41-year-old Cheray Jenkins so severely that it caused her death.
“The indictment alleges that the defendant committed a brutal and deliberate act of violence against the victim, his domestic partner,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Domestic violence cases represent some of the most disturbing crimes we prosecute. Our office is committed to seeking justice for the victim and her family through the legal process and holding those who commit such violent acts fully accountable.”
According to the investigation, on February 12, 2025, around 6:20 p.m., Thomas allegedly flew into a jealous rage and accused Jenkins of having romantic ties with a man who lived in the Mastic Beach home where the defendant and the victim were also temporarily living. On the day of the attack, Thomas allegedly banged on the front door of the home, and when the other male resident opened the door, Thomas entered the house and saw Jenkins lying on the couch.
Thomas accused the man and Jenkins of being together and allegedly threatened to shoot him. Thomas then began to violently punch Jenkins in the face and head while she lay on the couch as she pleaded with Thomas to stop. Thomas then allegedly pulled Jenkins off the couch, causing her to land on the hardwood floor. Once on the floor, Thomas allegedly continued to punch the victim in the face and then stomped on her face with his foot.
The male resident called 911, and when Suffolk County Police responded to the location, they found Jenkins unresponsive and unconscious, laying in a pool of what appeared to be her own blood. Thomas was arrested at the scene, and during processing at the precinct, he allegedly became combative with police officers and spat on one of them.
Jenkins was transported to Long Island Community Hospital where she was diagnosed with intracranial hemorrhage and received an emergency decompressive craniectomy. Jenkins never regained consciousness and was pronounced deceased on February 14, 2025.
On February 26, 2025, Thomas was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz, for one Count of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony, and Harassment in the Second Degree, a violation.
Justice Horowitz ordered Thomas remanded during the pendency of the case. Thomas is due back in court on March 20, 2025, and faces 25-years-to-life in prison if convicted on the top count. He is being represented by Keith O’Halloran, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melissa Grier of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Matthias Arnold of the Suffolk County Police Department Seventh Squad and Detective Matthew Sagistano of the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad.