Repeat offender sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing Guiying Ma in NYC rock attack

Before you read:

Repeat offender pleads guilty to killing Guiying Ma in NYC rock attack
Guiying Ma, grandmother struck in the head with a rock outside her Queens home, has died
Elderly Asian woman in critical condition after being struck with large rock in NYC

The Brooklyn man who killed Guiying Ma has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Elisaul Perez, 33, picked up a large rock and struck the 62-year-old twice in the head on Nov. 26, 2021. The incident occurred while the senior was sweeping outside her home near 38th Ave. and 97th St. in North Corona.

Ma wound up in a medical coma before succumbing to her injuries on Feb. 22, 2022.

The brutal attack helped fuel protests against anti-Asian hate amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perez, who has 11 prior arrests, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter last month but was not charged with a hate crime.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday. His time in jail will be followed by five years of supervised release.

“While today’s sentence cannot make up for this heartbreaking and senseless loss of their loved one, I hope that it provides some measure of solace to the family of Ms. Ma,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

“The long sentence will hold the defendant to account for an unprovoked attack that robbed the community of a beloved member,” she added.

Ma’s husband, Zhanxin Gao, who has returned to China, said he still cannot accept his wife’s death.

“It was all too sudden that our life in New York City came to an end,” Gao wrote in a statement read by Jennifer Wu, a pro bono attorney who has worked with Ma’s family. “I still can’t accept the sudden death of my wife. I’ve seen violent attacks on old people in the news, but I was overwhelmed when it really happened to me.”

He said his children and grandchildren feel the same way.

“When we hold family reunions, our children usually cry before they have meals because they also miss their mother or grandmother,” Wu said. “He [Perez] should be taken away so he can never hurt anyone else again. That is what justice means to me.”

Ma’s death was the fourth in a series of fatal attacks against Asians in New York City early last year. A fundraising campaign on GoFundMe created for Ma and her family has so far raised nearly $235,000.

Related stories:

Share this Article