queens man sentenced to 20 years in prison in death of girlfriend

Release # 77-2011
ww w.queensda.org
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
QUEENS COUNTY
RICHARD A. BROWN
125-01 QUEENS BOULEVARD
KEW GARDENS, NEW YORK 11415-1568
718-286-6000
D ISTRICT A TTORNEY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2011
CONTACT: KEVIN RYAN
HELEN PETERSON
MERIS CAMPBELL
(718) 286-6315
QUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON
IN DEATH OF GIRLFRIEND WHOSE BODY WAS THROWN IN DELAWARE RIVER
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that a 38-year-old Jamaica,
Queens, man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the October 2009 death of his girlfriend
whose remains were found the following month by a kayaker in the Delaware River in New Jersey.
District Attorney Brown said, “In admitting his guilt, the defendant acknowledged that he
was responsible for violently taking the life of a woman he once professed to love and, in the
process, has left a young boy to grow up without his mother. The imposed prison sentence reflects
the gravity of his offense, and he must now accept the consequences of his decision.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Collin Ballah, 38, of 97th Avenue in
Jamaica, Queens. Ballah pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on March 24, 2011, before
Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter, who imposed today’s determinate sentence of
20 years in state prison.
The District Attorney said that, according to the charges, Farisha Rahamult-Ali, 38, was last
seen alive entering her Richmond Hill, Queens, apartment with Ballah on the evening of October 24,
2009. In reporting her missing, Ballah told police that he, the victim and her nine-year-old son had
arrived at her residence sometime between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. that evening and that he went
to bed at approximately 2:00 a.m. and did not wake up until about 8:00 a.m. Ballah also told police
that Rahamult-Ali stated that she was going to an appointment in New Jersey on the morning of
October 25th with an unnamed individual.
However, interviews with the unnamed individual determined that although Rahamult-Ali
had expressed an interest in going to New Jersey for an appointment, she never made it. Also, video
surveillance located at Rahamult-Ali’s residence showed Ballah entering the building alone between
4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on October 25, 2009.
In conversations with his cousin, Brian Ballah, at 10:00 a.m. that morning, the defendant
stated that he had a body in his truck and that he wanted his cousin’s help in getting rid of the body
far away and into moving water. Between 10:00 a.m. on October 25, 2009, and 4:30 a.m. on October
26, 2009, Ballah, his cousin and another individual transported Rahamult-Ali’s body from Queens
to New Jersey, where they threw the body into the Delaware River.
On October 27th, Ballah reported Rahamult-Ali missing – although such personal belongings
as the victim’s cellular phone, wallet and pocketbook were found at her residence. On November
14, 2009, Rahamult-Ali’s naked body was discovered on the banks of Newbold Island on the
Delaware River wrapped inside of garbage bags and placed inside a green laundry bag, which was
consistent with one that had been at her residence.
Brian Ballah, 40, of 107th Street in Queens, pleaded guilty to first-degree hindering
prosecution on January 24, 2011, before Queens Supreme Court Justice Lenora Gerald. Sentencing
is scheduled for April 28, 2011.
Assistant District Attorney Brad A. Leventhal, Bureau Chief of the District Attorney’s
Homicide Trials Bureau, prosecuted the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney
Marilyn A. Filingeri, of the Homicide Investigations Bureau, under the overall supervision of
Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy
Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.
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Note to Editors: E-version of this press release posted at www.queensda.org.