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Boyfriend of Woman Whose Body Was Found in Trunk of Car in Queens Indicted on Murder Charges

Police on the scene after Destini Smothers’ body was found in the trunk of a car on March 10, 2021 in Queens (Photo: Christina Santucci/Queens Post)

July 7, 2022 By Michael Dorgan

A man who allegedly killed his girlfriend in November 2020 and dumped her body in the trunk of a car in Queens has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder, kidnapping and other crimes.

Kareem Flake, 30, who was on the run for more than a year before being apprehended in Florida in April, has been charged with murdering his girlfriend Destini Smothers of Troy, NY. He was extradited to New York Wednesday.

He is accused of killing Smothers—a 26-year-old woman and mother of his two children—who was reported missing in November 2020. The victim’s remains were discovered four months later in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle that belonged to Flake in South Jamaica, Queens.

Kareem Flake (NYPD)

“This defendant is now in custody and charged with the brutal murder of his girlfriend, who was also the mother of his two young children,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “This is the worst possible outcome for any individual experiencing intimate partner violence, and we express our condolences to the victim’s family.”

Flake, also from Troy, was arraigned Wednesday before Queens Supreme Court Justice Donna Golia on a seven-count indictment.

He is charged with murder in the second degree, kidnapping in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and tampering with physical evidence. Flake faces 25 years-to-life in prison if convicted.

Smothers body was discovered by a tow truck driver on March 10, 2021, who had been called out to pick up an abandoned vehicle.

Police on the scene after Smothers’ body was found in the trunk of a car (Photo: Christina Santucci)

The driver began towing the vehicle and discovered the grisly sight soon after he stopped his truck outside 150-08 Lefferts Blvd. when the tires on the Camry stopped moving. He looked for a spare tire in the trunk of the Camry and found her body.

Smothers had been missing since Nov. 3, 2020, and was last seen outside Bowlero bowling alley, located at 69-10 34th Ave in Woodside. She had been celebrating her birthday with Flake and friends.

Smothers’ friends were actively looking for her following the party and had set up a Facebook page as a means to find her.

The page said that she went missing shortly after she got into a heated argument with Flake outside the bowling alley.

The case was ruled a homicide when the medical examiner determined Smothers was killed by a blunt impact injury to the head.

Destini Smothers (left) and police at the scene on March 10, 2021 (NYPD and Citizen)

email the author: news@queenspost.com

9 Comments

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"white on white crime" is certainly a term

The vast majority of white victims of violent crime are attacked by other white people, the NYPD stats say so themselves ?

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That link says those numbers are fake

If you read the link you posted you’d learn that you fell for a completely fake meme ? and those aren’t NYPD stats

“…the stark difference that the viral post attempts to portray between the rates of white-on-white and Black-on-Black homicide — which it puts at 16% and 97%, respectively — is inaccurate”

“Both numbers tend to hover between 80% and 90% and remain within 10 percentage points of each other”

Thanks for providing evidence that the vast majority of white victims of violent crime are attacked by other white people

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Asshst is posting lies and misinformation. Admin should do responsible thing and tag it as such

Asshst- Did you even bother to read the article in your link? Your post is a meme making the rounds on social media and being fact check. It got a rating of false.
Between 1980-2008, the U.S. Department of Justice found that 84% of white victims were killed by white offenders and 93% of Black victims were killed by Black offenders.

In 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that 81% of white victims were killed by white offenders, and 89% of Black victims were killed by Black offenders.
In 2017, the FBI reported almost identical figures —

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Can't deny the facts

They’re both black. The data shows that although they only make up 13% of the population, those 13% also commit 90% of the crime.

No such term as white on white crime but the term black on black crime does. Why is that??? Stop embodying the racism you say you hate.

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