Christopher Gonzalez has been sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder of Yonkers-resident Angel Serbay.
In 2005, Gonzalez sexually assaulted and strangled the 25 year-old Serbay to death. He then wrapped her body in a blanket and dumped her remains off the Sprain Brook Parkway in Greenburgh. And five years before, in 2000, 19 year-old Dora Almontaser was strangled to death by Gonzalez with a phone cord in the Bronx. Both cases went unsolved for well over a decade.
In 2016, detectives from the Bronx re-examined the lone fingerprint they found at the scene of Almontaser’s death. From that one fingerprint, they were able to match it to Gonzalez. Who, at the time, was married with children and living in Naples, Florida. However, Detective Malcolm Reiman noted there was much more work to be done, “that was just the beginning. We had to build a homicide case.“
Further investigation revealed that Gonzalez had lived near both victims at the time of their killings–the Bronx and Nodine Hill in Yonkers. Gonzalez also had a history of abuse of women. And, he would frequently take his dates to pool halls. The first victim lived herself above a pool hall.
The Arrest
Gonzalez was arrested in Florida on Nov. 7th, 2017 after being under surveillance by NYC police. Ultimately, it was his lack of a valid driver’s license that provided cause for his initial arrest. During interrogation, Gonzalez did not admit to any of the crimes. He was later extradited to New York where we was indicted on first-degree murder charges in Bronx and Westchester counties. However, in 2022 he reached a plea deal with prosecutors for lesser charges of second-degree murder. He pleaded guilty in Westchester County Court to the killing of Angel Serbay on January 18th, 2023.
Teresa Lopez, a friend of Yonkers victim Angel Serbay, was present in court during the guilty plea by Gonzalez. She thanked the detectives and prosecutors who worked for years on this case. She said, “We got justice” because “they never gave up. They did a great job.”
On Friday March 17, Gonzalez was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the murder of Serbay. Without his confession, he could have faced 50 years if convicted of the first-degree murder charges.
Angel Serbay was murdered and inhumanely left on the side of the road, and now 18 years later we have gotten justice for her family, friends, and community.
Miriam Rocah – Westchester District Attorney
Those these two cases are now solved, some investigators believe these were not the only murders. “You have two forcible rapes and strangulations. People don’t do this and just stop,” said one detective.
