Yonkers Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life for Brutal Murder of Senior Citizen

August 14, 2025

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced that Deshawn Nunez, 24, of Yonkers, was sentenced on Thursday to 25 years to life in prison for the killing of 68-year-old Renee Spencer in 2022. Nunez pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree, a class A felony, earlier this month.

Nunez was sentenced by Judge George Fufidio, who handed down the maximum sentence for the charge. 

In the late-night hours of Aug. 9, 2022, Nunez stabbed the victim more than a dozen times inside her Nepperhan Ave. apartment in Yonkers, killing her.

DA Cacace said: “While we understand that there is little we can do to relieve the incredible grief felt by the family of Renee Spencer, we hope that this sentencing offers some degree of closure to this senseless crime.”

In a joint statement from the family of Renee Spencer made to the court, they said: “The pain and trauma caused by the actions of Deshawn Nunez have left a permanent mark on our family. The crime was not only deeply violent but senseless, and its impact has extended far beyond the initial moment- it has affected our daily lives, our mental health and our sense of safety. We live with the emotional weight of these events every day.”

This case was investigated by the Yonkers Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Shumejda of the Major Case Bureau and Investigations Division Chief John O’Rourke.

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