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Dutchess County resident Veronica Hardwick, age 51, of Poughkeepsie, has been arraigned on multiple charges for allegedly stabbing her brother Richard Reshard in Nassau County at their parent’s Hempstead home.
Specifically, Hardwick was charged with:
- Second-degree murder;
- Manslaughter;
- Criminal possession of a weapon.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said that on Nov. 25, 2021, Hardwick visited her mother and brother’s home on Fulton Avenue in Hempstead for Thanksgiving.
That night, during an argument, Hardwick allegedly got into an argument with her brother, during which she allegedly picked up a large knife and threatened him with it.
It is alleged that the argument continued, and Hardwick wound up stabbing her brother in the chest with a paring knife, puncturing an artery of his heart.
Reshard was taken to the Nassau University Medical Center, where he died from his injuries two weeks later on Dec. 7, 2021.
Hardwick was arrested on Dec. 1, 2021, by members of the Nassau County Police Department Homicide Squad following the stabbing. She has been detained since her arrest.
“Thanksgiving dinner became the tragic backdrop for extreme family violence when this defendant allegedly stabbed her brother in the chest during an argument, killing him,” Donnelly said. “The victim, Richard Reshard, died two weeks later from his injuries. Our thoughts are with his family as they grieve this unimaginable loss.”
Hardwick pleaded not guilty to the charges and was remanded into custody. She is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday, March 2. If convicted on the murder charge, Hardwick faces 25 years to life in prison.
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