Homeless Man With 22 Arrests Accused of Choking Man to Death on NYC Subway

A homeless man was arrested for allegedly beating and choking another man to death. According to prosecutors, the man, who has nearly two dozen prior arrests, was allegedly woken up from his sleep by the victim. The suspect has been identified as Keith Plummer, 68. He was allegedly sleeping on board a No. 1 train at the 242nd Street-Van Cortlandt Park Station on May 13 at around 3 a.m. The victim, identified as Cranston Smith, tapped Plummer with his cane.

After Plummer was woken up, the situation quickly escalated. Plummer allegedly straddled Smith and proceeded to punch him several times. According to a complaint filed in Bronx Criminal Court, Smith was grabbed and choked.

Plummer allegedly pinned Smith to the floor, causing him to become unconscious and unresponsive. Smith was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, where he died.

Plummer was arrested hours later and charged with manslaughter, police said. During his arraignment on May 14, he was ordered held on $200,000 cash bail and $600,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 19.

Only after his arrest did it become clear that the suspect had been arrested many times before. According to his criminal record, Plummer had at least 22 prior arrests. His most recent arrest was in February 2019 when he was accused of forging a government document.

In April 2017, Plummer was arrested for allegedly pushing a 22-year-old man to the floor after a cannabis deal gone wrong. During the altercation, he allegedly snatched the man’s credit cards and threatened to reveal the PIN numbers.

According to authorities, in 2007, Plummer allegedly had an altercation with a police officer who stopped him for disorderly behavior. Instead of complying, Plummer fought with the officer, causing the officer to fall down a flight of stairs.

According to police, most of his arrests were related to drug possession. Plummer’s most recent address, provided by police, was in Jamaica, Queens. However, authorities said he is currently homeless.