Joey Charles, 29, is Accused of Strangling Vanessa Pierre, a Pregnant Nurse Practitioner

Goey “Joey” Charles, 29, was accused of strangling Vanessa Pierre – a Hempstead nurse practitioner six months pregnant with his child – and abandoning her body near a Queens expressway on Tuesday. Authorities say Charles committed the horrific act on November 8th.

On Friday, October 23, investigators reported Charles stopped his white Dodge Challenger on the 216-07 Horace Harding Expressway around 2:50 a.m. He got out of behind the driver’s seat and went to sit in Pierre’s backseat, according to court papers.

According to the District Attorney, video footage showed her moving around in the backseat before suddenly stopping and lying motionless across it. Shortly thereafter, Charles is believed to have got out of the car and pulled the victim’s dead body from its confines onto a sidewalk.

On Tuesday evening, her family was left devastated and in deep mourning as she announced that she was expecting a baby girl named Egypt. To honor her memory, family members gathered for a vigil on Tuesday evening and observed 29 seconds of silence in her honor.

Prosecutors believe Charles pulled his girlfriend’s car over and then dumped her dead on the side of the road, according to court documents. She died from asphyxia due to compression to her neck, according to a medical examiner’s statement.

On Monday morning, police reported finding an unconscious woman wearing gray sweatpants around her neck. Her neck had been bruised and her face appeared swollen, they added.

On Monday evening, Charles, who lived at Rochelle Court in Uniondale, was arrested and could face 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of second-degree murder. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday for a hearing.

Prosecutors allege Charles pulled over his girlfriend’s white Dodge Challenger and climbed out from behind the driver’s door, as seen on surveillance video. According to court papers, he exited the vehicle at 216-07 Horace Harding Expressway and entered into the backseat where she was driving.

Prosecutors said that when he closed the driver’s door, Pierre was still moving. But she was unable to exit and soon all movement ceased, according to Katz’ statement. At 4:38 a.m., prosecutors stated, he again pulled her from her car and dumped her on a sidewalk before returning it to its driver’s side door and leaving the scene.

Pierre was found dead in the street less than an hour after Charles pulled her from her car, according to court documents. She was wearing red pajamas, orange shirt and one sock on her left foot; there were bruises and a black eye, plus she lay facedown. According to the DA’s statement: “Vanessa attempted to fight off her assailant but was ultimately overpowered and stopped moving.”