A man charged with the gruesome killing of a former coworker on her Queens porch “hears voices” and has hallucinations, his lawyer said Saturday.
Francisco Sevilla, 40, allegedly struck Juliet Kashidas-Singh, 64, “repeatedly about the head and body” and then “dragged her body using a cord that was tied around her neck” at 103rd Avenue near 105th Street in Ozone Park, Queens, on Thursday, according to a criminal complaint.
Sevilla, who weighs 350 pounds and stands 5-foot-3, “hears voices” and has hallucinations, his defense attorney David Strachan said, as he asked for a psychiatric evaluation of his client.
Sevilla pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, court records show.
He told investigators he was “under the influence” and doesn’t remember anything, according to sources.
Kashidas-Singh, a breast cancer survivor, and Sevilla worked in construction together and were fighting over $300 that she apparently owed him, sources said.
Sevilla, who was arrested hours after the murder with his hands still drenched in blood, was sent to Rikers Island correctional facility without bail, according to records.
Sevilla is a Mexican national who has been in the US for two years, sources said. It’s not known if he entered the country legally.
His next court date is scheduled for March 5.
Additional reporting by Brigitte Stelzer