QUEENS, NY — A 62-year-old man has been arraigned on murder and attempted murder charges in the fatal shooting of his estranged wife in St. Albans last month, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Audwin Caines is accused of shooting 45-year-old Chaneil Ramsay multiple times on June 23 as she tried to shield her 21-year-old daughter during an encounter on 176th Street. According to prosecutors, Ramsay was struck in the head and body at close range after she and her daughter attempted to flee and took cover behind a parked vehicle.
Earlier that day, Caines allegedly sent threatening text messages to Ramsay, including a photo of a shattered window of her parked Jeep Grand Cherokee. A brick was later found inside the vehicle.
Caines is also facing charges stemming from a prior incident on July 1, 2024, in which he allegedly stabbed Ramsay in the chest and elbow with a broken bottle after striking her with a bottle of alcohol during an argument inside their home.
The charges include second-degree murder, attempted murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal mischief in the fourth degree, second-degree assault, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Caines, who is undomiciled, was remanded without bail by Queens Criminal Court Judge Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar. He is due back in court on Friday.
Caines was arrested on July 15 in Manhattan near West 142nd Street and Chisum Place.
Prosecutors said Ramsay’s death followed a documented pattern of escalating violence. If convicted, Caines faces up to 25 years to life in prison.