The man accused of killing his 20-year-old ex-girlfriend as she pushed their baby in a stroller on the Upper East Side was sent to jail without bail Saturday for what prosecutors called a “premeditated execution.”
Isaac Argro, 22, was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court Saturday night on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon as the distraught mother and sisters of his alleged victim, Asia Johnson, looked on.
Johnson, 20, was shot at point-blank range near Lexington Avenue and East 95th Street on Wednesday as she pushed her 3-month-old baby in a stroller to meet Argro, who had recently been trying to return to the medical professional’s office good graces after months of abuse and threats, police and family members said.
Argro was dressed all in black and wore a ski mask as he paced back and forth as he waited to kill his estranged girlfriend, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Brittany DeCesare told Judge Eric Schumacher.
Lisa DeSort, mother of Asia Johnson, with her daughters after the arraignment. James Cavom DeSort hugs his daughters outside court. James Caveom
“This case can only be described as a premeditated execution. The accused convinced the victim to meet after work under the guise that he wanted to give the deceased things for their 3-month-old daughter,” said De Cesare as the victim’s mother, Lisa DeSort, began to cry inconsolably.
“The defendant shot the mother of his child at point blank range in the head while holding her crying 3-month-old [daughter] in the cart as he ran,” the prosecutor said.
After committing the gruesome murder, Argro called Johnson’s family and asked where his child was while threatening that another unidentified person was “next,” officials said.
“On bail your honour, the people want the accused to be detained. This case can only be described as a premeditated execution,” De Cesare told the judge.
Johnson was fatally shot while walking with her 3-month-old daughter on the Upper East Side. Desort slams Queens County for failing to listen to daughter’s domestic abuse report before her death James Caveom
After Schumacher left Argro in jail without bail, the suspected killer asked the court for protection and medical help.
He is due back in court on July 7 and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
“I thought I could be stronger than what I was, but I had a little bit of a breakdown because it was the first time I heard what really happened in chronological order,” Lisa Desort told The Post after the trial.
“Honestly, I wanted to jump up and scream ‘coward,'” she explained. “You’re not human, you’re a monster. That’s what I wanted to scream.”
Isaac Argro, Johnson’s alleged killer, is being held without bond. James Caveom
DeSort said her daughter’s alleged killer was a gang member the family nicknamed the “Angry Bird.”
“I honestly let you into my home. I don’t allow people in my house. I tried to treat you like a son. I wanted you to be a part of your daughter’s life. But you can’t be a civilian. That’s all we wanted. That’s all my daughter wanted,” she said when asked what she would say to Argro.
DeSort thanked the NYPD and Mayor Eric Adams for the city’s swift response to the case. Argro was arrested two days after the murder at his Brooklyn apartment building, where members of the slain woman’s extended family also live.
Argro was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. DANIEL WILLIAM McKNIGHT After shooting Johnson, Argro left his daughter in the stroller and fled.gofundme
However, the grieving mother accused the city of ignoring her daughter’s complaints of abuse and stalking. At one point, when Argro threatened to kill Desort, a domestic violence counselor dismissed the remark as “free speech,” she claimed.
“I’m very disappointed in the Queens area. When my daughter reached out she was abused and assaulted which was documented. She reached out and I reached out repeatedly with threats and harassment…we were kind of pushed back and pushed away.” Desort said.
The 3-month-old girl and Johnson’s other toddler were being cared for by family members.
“The baby is perfectly fine and in great hands,” DeSort said with a big smile. “Both babies actually”
Add Comment