Laurence Gendreau, 39, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision for the attempted murder of a 6-year-old boy in Kew Gardens, Queens. The announcement was made today by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Gendreau was convicted last month of multiple charges, including attempted murder, assault, endangering the welfare of a child, grand larceny, and criminal possession of stolen property.
“The brutality displayed by this defendant toward an innocent child is heartbreaking. With this sentence, we have achieved justice for the young boy and his family and taken a dangerous man off of our streets,” said District Attorney Katz.
According to trial testimony, the horrifying attack took place on October 10, 2019, around 4:45 p.m. The young victim was waiting with his older brother outside their grandparents’ home for a pizza delivery. Gendreau, walking past the house, suddenly charged at the 6-year-old, lifted him overhead, and violently slammed him into the pavement. The attack left the child with a fractured skull, a collapsed lung, and bleeding on the brain.
The child’s brother immediately ran inside to alert the family, prompting the grandfather to chase after Gendreau. A police officer, flagged down by the grandfather, arrested Gendreau near Lefferts Boulevard and Metropolitan Avenue. The young victim was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent treatment and has since recovered.
In a separate incident on the same day, Gendreau also snatched an iPad from an 83-year-old woman on Union Turnpike in Kew Gardens. The stolen property was recovered at the time of his arrest.