There is no shortage of street vendors on Fordham Road, but one spot is now vacant: the corner at the Grand Concourse, where Leslie Sanchez sold fruit and vegetables for years.
Two weeks ago, the 56-year-old was beaten to death in what appears to be an unprovoked attack.
"It wasn't an animal they killed. He was a human being who didn't bother anyone," said the victim's widow Maciel Vasquez in Spanish.
She is still trying to figure out what happened.
Sanchez was wrapping up on the evening of Sept. 12 when two men attacked him. Sanchez was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he died of his injuries two days later.
"My husband didn't argue with anyone," she said. "If someone asked for something he would give it to them."
Police arrested 37-year-old Romel Jarrett and 44-year-old Terrence Downes who are likely to face upgraded charges of murder and assault.
According to the criminal complaint, the two wrestled Sanchez to the ground and struck him multiple times in the head with a baseball bat.
Sanchez leaves behind three children.
"My 6-year-old daughter was crying yesterday because she misses her father, saying she wants to see her father," Vazquez said.
As painful as it may be, Vasquez says she plans to attend every court appearance as the case moves forward in her pursuit of justice for her husband.
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