A Bronx man faces 25 years to life in prison for allegedly killing his girlfriend, assaulting another woman and holding the mother of his child and his toddler hostage for 48 hours, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s office.
“The defendant beat his current girlfriend and the mother of his child, for two days with his 3-year-old son present,” said District Attorney Darcel Clark. “The mother and child escaped, but the defendant’s girlfriend was left to die in the apartment and her extensively decomposed body was not found until a month later. We will seek justice for the deceased victim who was so callously abandoned, and for the victims who survived this ordeal.”
Clark said the defendant, 31-year-old Anthony Portis of 240 West 167 St., was arraigned on Sept. 4, on first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree manslaughter, three counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of second-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the investigation, on March 2, the defendant allegedly went to the building of the mother of his child, Nzingha Keyes, 26, at 652 East 187 St. Portis was in the hallway with neighbors and his girlfriend, Dominique Ben-David, 22, when Keyes arrived with the 3-year-old boy. Portis allegedly pushed them and Ben-David into Keyes’ apartment and refused to let them leave for two days.
Throughout the 48 hours, the defendant allegedly beat and strangled a pregnant Keyes and brutally beat Ben-David. On March 4, Keyes fled the apartment with her son as Portis slept and did not report the incident to police until later.
On April 10, detectives went to the apartment, to speak with Keyes about Portis. When they approached the apartment,they saw the door was open and noticed the odor of a decomposing body. Detectives entered and discovered the body of Ben-David.
According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Ben-David suffered two fractures to each side of her neck. The cause of death was classified as homicidal violence.
Portis is due back in court Nov. 18.
