Bretford Brewer Indicted for Murder — Long Island City Stabbing

A Queens grand jury has indicted Bretford Brewer, who is accused of fatally stabbing his neighbor Carlos Penzo inside a Long Island City apartment building and then fleeing toward the roof before a building staffer detained him until officers arrived.

Brewer faces murder and other charges, according to Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Katz’s office announced the indictment in a statement shared on X, saying Brewer had been indicted for murder and other charges in connection with the August stabbing of Penzo inside his Long Island City apartment, according to Queens DA Katz.

The statement described the prosecution’s allegations against Brewer, which have not been proved in court. “As alleged, this defendant violently attacked Carlos Penzo and stabbed him multiple times in his own apartment,” Katz said, per the statement.

The office said the alleged attack began inside Penzo’s home and was followed by Brewer’s movement into the building’s stairwell. According to Katz’s office, Brewer did not immediately leave the building after the alleged attack.

The statement says, “After killing the victim, Bretford Brewer went to a stairwell landing leading to the roof and then returned naked to the same floor as Penzo’s apartment.”