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Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. announced on Thursday that Mount Vernon resident Clifford Ali has been found guilty of second-degree murder for his role in the death of Martin Lisnak, 74, who was found dead in the city in November 2016.
On Nov. 21, 2016, Mount Vernon police received an emergency 911 call from Ali, who told detectives that a man he identified as his “father” had been beaten up on the street. Upon arrival at their South Fifth Avenue apartment, officers discovered the lifeless body of Ali’s victim. Police said that he was naked, uncovered and appeared to be severely beaten.
Lisnak was found “naked and brutally beaten, lying in a pool of blood in his bed.” He had been dead “for some time.”
The subsequent investigation determined that Ali was not related to the victim, but they were roommates, Scarpino noted. Police found that Ali had blood on his hands, and there were three canes recovered inside the apartment that also had blood on them. There was also blood spatter on the wall where the victim was discovered.
The Medical Examiner ruled that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the body. The victim had a fractured humerus and multiple hemorrhages. The ME reported that he suffered as many as 20 wounds to his body.
At trial, Ali testified and maintained his innocence, claiming that a neighbor may have been responsible for the fatal beating. After being found guilty, Ali is facing 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on July 25.
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