Maria Coto, social worker attacked in Peekskill, has died – Peekskill Herald

The Westchester County Social Services worker who was brutally beaten for no reason in Peekskill on May 14 died on June 19 without ever recovering from her serious injuries.

According to Peekskill police, Maria Coto was brutally attacked by suspected murderer Hasseem Jenkins in an apartment at 900 South Street.

Jenkins “… repeatedly struck (Maria) Coto with his fists and repeatedly kicked Ms. Coto with heavy boots… over the head and body, causing Ms. Coto to suffer severe brain bleeding, brain swelling, and multiple facial fractures…”, according to the complaint filed by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

After the attack, Coto remained on life support at Westchester County Medical Center until the ventilator was removed in early June. Coto was 56 years old.

Following her death, the union representing Coto issued a statement from Hattie Adams, president of CSEA Westchester County Unit 9200.

“CSEA is devastated by the passing of our member Maria Coto,” Adams said. “In her memory, we will continue to do everything possible in partnership with the Westchester County Executive’s office to educate our members and ensure their safety while they work in service to the community.”

“Our sincere condolences go out to her CSEA family, colleagues, friends and family during this difficult time.”

Unprovoked attack during a visit to social services

Coto was in Peekskill to visit a client when she entered an apartment behind the South Street Deli.

According to a news report, a neighbor claimed Jenkins chased Coto into another apartment and yelled, “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you, bitch. I’m going to kill you, bitch.”

Peekskill police immediately responded to multiple reports of an assault that occurred at the 900 South St. apartment at 3:10 p.m. and took Jenkins, 31, into custody. He was charged with attempted second-degree murder, a class A-1 felony, and first-degree assault. Jenkins remains in custody at the Westchester County Jail.

Following Coto’s death, a spokesman for the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office said, “The District Attorney’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Maria Coto. Given the changed circumstances, the District Attorney’s Office will pursue all appropriate charges.”

Peekskill police said their detectives will continue to cooperate with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office in the case, which is the subject of an ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to immediately contact the Peekskill Police Detective Bureau at 914-737-8000 or email (email protected)Anonymous tips can also be submitted at www.cityofpeekskill.com under the “Crime Reports” section.

According to a person familiar with her work, Coto had recently moved from the Child Protective Services Agency to the Housing Authority, a job that involves fewer potentially dangerous situations in the field.

Court proceedings continue

Jenkins appeared in Peekskill Municipal Court on June 13 for an arraignment on two counts, attempted murder charges related to the attack on Coto and a previous disorderly conduct case dating to October 2023.

Judge Reginald Johnson said the Coto case will now be transferred to White Plains court, where a grand jury is expected to hear the aggravated charges because Coto died. Jenkins has an Aug. 8 court date in Peekskill City Court on the disorderly conduct charge.

More than two dozen of Coto’s fellow social workers, as well as family members and supporters of Jenkins, filled the small courtroom of Peekskill Municipal Court on June 13. Social workers also appeared at an earlier hearing in court on May 30 to show their support for Coto.

Jenkins was arrested outside the Field Library on October 20, 2023, and charged with disturbing the peace. According to the complaint, Jenkins was asked to leave the area, but he refused and struck a relative who was in the plaza. He faced a maximum of 15 days in jail on that charge.

Jenkins failed to appear at several court hearings, including his first scheduled court appearance on November 2 before Judge Lissette Fernandez.

At a court hearing on December 14, he was arraigned on the charges, pleaded not guilty, and was released on bail.

Jenkins also failed to appear in court for another court date on January 11, 2024, and was absent from hearings of his case on February 1 and March 14. Rather than issue a warrant for his arrest, Judge Fernandez rescheduled his case for an April 18 hearing. On that day, the defendant requested a non-jury trial, which was scheduled for May 16, two days after his attack on Coto.

District ensures greater safety for social workers during visits

After announcing Coto’s death, Westchester County Executive George Latimer said, “We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of Maria Coto. Maria was a dedicated employee of Westchester County’s Department of Human Services who was brutally attacked while selflessly performing her duties. It is outrageous that someone whose life was dedicated to helping others was brutally taken from her friends and family.

“While we are committed to ensuring justice is served in this case, at this moment we just want to focus on remembering Maria for her warmth, courage and commitment to doing good and helping people. Today we all mourn her loss and grieve with her friends and family.”

On June 6, Westchester County announced additional safety measures for its staff and offered increased security escorts for employees during community and home visits. While DSS has long offered escort services, the new initiative expands their availability to cover more visits and programs, the county said in a statement.

“This unforeseen and tragic incident has prompted us to take immediate action to protect our personnel from further harm while performing their duties on behalf of Westchester County,” said Latimer. “DSS employees perform important work in the community, we respect them and want to do everything we can to ensure their safety.” Century Protective Services, Inc. will provide escorts on a case-by-case basis to assist DSS personnel.

DSS Commissioner Leonard Townes said, “Due to the urgency of this situation, DSS has determined that an immediate contract with a security service provider is necessary. Our employees do extremely selfless work and we want to ensure their safety every step of the way.”