The man accused in the execution-style killing of the mother of his infant daughter on the Upper East Side was indicted on a murder charge for the brutal slaying that shocked the city.
Isaac Argro is charged with murdering 20-year-old Aszia Johnson on June 29, as she pushed their 3-month-old daughter in a stroller near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and East 95th Street.
On Wednesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the killing "a premeditated act of fatal domestic violence."
According to court documents and statements made in court, Argro lured Johnson to the area by saying he wanted to give her things for their daughter. However, Argro arrived at the meet-up spot without the items, and with a ski mask over his face, and dressed in black. Sources said recovered video showed Argro pacing in front of a residence immediately before.
After approaching her from behind, Argro then shot Johnson at point-blank range, and took off.
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Before meeting with Argro, Johnson sent texts describing exactly where she was meeting him and what he was wearing when she saw him, court documents state. Not only did those descriptions match what witnesses described the shooter wearing, court documents showed that video surveillance also showed him getting rid of the clothes in order to avoid getting caught.
Prosecutors said that Argro later called Johnson's family and asked where his daughter was. He also threatened another person who knew Johnson, saying they were "next."
Cops responding to a 911 call about shots fired found the woman unconscious. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The baby wasn't hurt.
"Committing this type of killing in front of an infant is horrific, and I cannot imagine the pain that Ms. Johnson’s family and loved ones are experiencing," Bragg said.
In addition to the indictment on the murder charge, Argro was also indicted on weapon possession.
Earlier in July, Argro had been ordered held without bail, as prosecutors described the killing as a “premeditated execution.” Two senior NYPD officials previously told NBC New York that interviews conducted with the victim's family revealed a history of violence between the dead woman and her baby's father, but the alleged violence, which included at least one assault, happened before the child was born.
He did, however, allegedly threaten violence against the woman after the baby's birth, the senior officials said. What was actually reported to police over the course of the alleged abuse remains a matter under investigation, the senior officials added.
Also, there have been threats of violence from the father to the deceased after the baby's birth. The NYPD is also investigating a domestic violence report the victim apparently filed against a different man in January 2021, the senior officials said.
