A killer ex-con known as the “local bully” in his Brooklyn neighborhood was identified Thursday as the suspect in the sucker-punch robbery that killed a man devoted to caring for his elderly mother.
Oft-arrested Phillip Meyers, convicted of murder in 1999, had 17 prior arrests before the deadly attack on John Sarquiz, 55, as the victim walked home from a Dyker Heights mini-mart after a cash withdrawal from a ATM machine, said NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.
Meyers, whose 13-year-old son was convicted alongside him in the 24-year-old slaying, was paroled in 2009 and quickly rang up another eight arrests — the most recent in 2020 for burglary.
Sarquiz was attacked from behind on the evening of March 29 and died five days later when family members made the gut-wrenching decision to take him off life support.
Since the death of his father in 2014, Sarquiz became his elderly mother’s full-time live-in caretaker, family members said.
The attacker fled the scene with $1,000 dollars taken from the victim after repeatedly kicking the helpless Sarquis in the head and body, family members and police said.
The victim’s sister said she was told the killer emptied Sarquiz’s wallet before throwing it back at the mortally injured man. His family stood vigil at his hospital bed before removing Sarquiz from life support this past Monday at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn.
Sarquiz was targeted while walking the two blocks home from the Dean Mini-Market where he often bought lottery tickets for himself and scratch offs for his mom, his sister said.
His head slammed into the sidewalk as he tumbled to the pavement on 13th Ave. near 72nd St., cops said.
Sister Christina Sarquiz told the Us.Mistertruth that her brother promised their father to take care of the mom. Their heartbroken mother, 80-year-old Karen Sarquiz, visited her dying son at the hospital as the family held out hope for his recovery.
“He was determined to follow through of what his father asked of him,” his sister said. “It was a great sacrifice of his own life and independence to make sure she was OK.”