A woman with a bizarre past was fatally shot over the weekend during an altercation at a deli in the Bronx. The man allegedly responsible for her death has been arrested.
Jonathan Rosario, 24, was arrested and charged with the murder of Katherine Diop, 29, and the attempted murder of her brother, Maurice Diop, 31, the New York Daily News reported. He has also been charged with gun and drug possession crimes. Rosario allegedly killed Diop and injured her brother during an argument outside a deli, where the siblings were apparently purchasing lighter fluid for a cookout to celebrate their younger sister’s graduation.
While in the store, the Daily News reported, Maurice began arguing with another customer while Katherine waved a BB gun. The argument resumed outside the store, where Rosario allegedly shot both siblings after retrieving the weapon from a vehicle.
“Cops used tourniquets on the brother’s arm and leg and were credited with saving his life, but his sister, rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital by medics, could not be saved,” the Daily News reported.
Surveillance video showed Rosario returning the gun to the vehicle after the shooting. The gun and an AR-15 were recovered by police from the trunk of the car. Rosario was apprehended after a tipster identified him, the Daily News reported. He was arrested three times previously, once for drug possession and twice for possession with intent to sell.
A neighbor, Camille Miguel, who witnessed the shooting told WABC that the altercation happened quickly.
“The next thing I know, they were fighting. I went into the house and got my phone and called 911. When I came out, I heard pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, at least seven times. She was walking, then she looked back and she just dropped,” Miguel told the outlet. “She took like five breaths, she drowned in her blood. Then, she passed right there.”
Katherine Diop made headlines in 2012 when she was 21 years old and serving on a jury in the trial of Devon Thomas, who was charged with murdering a man in the Bronx four years earlier. During the trial, Diop fell in love with Thomas and refused to convict him, becoming the lone holdout and leading to a mistrial. It was later discovered that Diop visited Thomas more than 30 times in prison during the trial. She began dating him after the mistrial.
Thomas appeared frequently with Diop during his second trial. She even blew him a kiss when he was convicted for the murder. Diop eventually pleaded guilty to perjury and lying when she said during jury selection for Thomas’ first trial that she hadn’t previously been arrested. She had been previously arrested for criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. She received three years’ probation as part of her plea deal.
After Thomas was convicted and sent to prison, the Daily News reported, Diop fell in love with his brother, with whom she now has a daughter.