Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced Thursday, Jan. 29, that a Bronx man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter for the 1996 fatal strangling of a pregnant woman.

 

“Three decades ago, the defendant carried out a horrific attack on a pregnant woman, with her 5-year-old son forced to bear witness,” Clark said of the crime. “After a relentless pursuit of justice, including advancements in DNA, her killer is being held accountable and there is some solace for her child.”

 

Clark said the defendant, Gregory Fleetwood, 69, was sentenced on Thursday to 12 years in prison by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Ralph Fabrizio. She said the defendant had already pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Dec. 10, 2025.

 

According to the investigation, on Feb. 5, 1996, inside of 1706 Davidson Avenue in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx, the defendant choked Jasmine Porter, 36, to death in her apartment in front of her 5-year-old son. The court heard that the boy was left alone with his mother’s body for two days before it was found.

 

Prosecutors said DNA was found under the victim’s fingernails, and after advancements in forensic technology, the fingernails were tested and matched Fleetwood’s DNA which was in the database because he had served time in prison for also strangling a pregnant woman in 1987.

 

The case was prosecuted by Christine Scaccia, chief of the homicide bureau, under the overall supervision of James Brennan, deputy chief of the trial division, and Theresa Gottlieb, chief of the trial division.

 

Clark thanked David Slott, chief of the forensic science unit, Robertta Graham, forensic science coordinator, and Lindsay Carter, forensic analyst, for their work on the case.

 

She also thanked retired NYPD Lieutenant Sean O’ Toole and retired NYPD Detective Robert Klein of Bronx Homicide, and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner’s forensic biology department for their work on the investigation.

 

If you are a victim of domestic violence, you can call the Bronx District Attorney’s Crime Victims Assistance Bureau at (718) 590-2115.

 

As previously reported, the nonprofit, Freedom Youth NYC, has long been working to help survivors of both domestic abuse and human trafficking in The Bronx. Email Moniqueriley@freedomyouthfamilyjusticecenter.org or call (929) 612-3667 for more information.