Fugitive charged 8 years after allegedly killing jewelry store boss with zip ties
"I hope the victim’s loved ones can take some measure of comfort that this defendant will finally face accountability in New York," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said.
A former employee of a New York jewelry store is being accused of choking his boss to death with zip ties on Valentine's Day in 2017, according to prosecuting officials.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced on May 5 that Michel Patrick DeSalles, 54, was charged with one count of second-degree murder in connection with the death of his 51-year-old boss, Omid Gholian.
Bragg said DeSalles is being charged after he allegedly fled to his native country, Mauritius, immediately after the incident in 2017. He was extradited to the U.S. on May 2 and subsequently charged in a New York State Supreme Court.
“I hope the victim’s loved ones can take some measure of comfort that this defendant will finally face accountability in New York,” Bragg said in a news release. “I thank our prosecutors for never wavering from the investigation and doggedly seeking the return of this defendant.”
New York State court records show that DeSalles' next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 11, 2025. As of May 7, he does not have a defense attorney on file.
Omid Gholian found dead in back of jewelry store with zip ties around neck
According to court documents and statements made on record, DeSalles was employed at a jewelry store in Tribeca. On the morning of Feb. 14, 2017, he allegedly attacked Gholian and tied two zip ties tightly around his boss's neck, the DA's office said.
About three hours after the alleged murder, DeSalles bought a plane ticket to Mauritius — an island country in the Indian Ocean that's around 2,000 kilometers off the southeastern coast of East Africa — and flew out of John F. Kennedy International Airport that evening, according to Bragg's office.
Gholian's family and police went to the jewelry store the day after the incident, but the door was locked. Police used a key provided by the family to enter the store, where they found Gholian dead in the back with zip ties around his neck, the DA's office said. He sustained bruising to his eye and a gash on his head.
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for Paste BN. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.