The Manhattan DA has brought charges against the man who allegedly choked his boss, the owner of the Tribeca jewelry store Gold N Diamond, to death with zip ties in 2017. The store was on the southwest corner of Duane and Church.

Michel Patrick Desalles, 54, fled the country for his native Mauritius immediately after the incident in 2017, when 51-year-old Omid Gholian was found dead in the store, Alvin Bragg’s office said. Desalles was extradited back to the United States last Friday and was charged in New York State Supreme Court with one count of murder in the second degree.

“I hope the victim’s loved ones can take some measure of comfort that this defendant will finally face accountability in New York,” said Bragg. “I thank our prosecutors for never wavering from the investigation and doggedly seeking the return of this defendant.”

That corner would next be taken by Razzle Dazzle Barbershop in 2019; owner Elena Linares had a priest from St. Peter’s come in and bless the space before she gutted it. Now it is Hawa Smoothies Bubble Tea.

According to court documents and statements made on the record, on the morning of February 14, 2017, Desalles allegedly attacked Gholian and tied two zip ties tightly around his neck. Approximately three hours later. Desalles purchased a plane ticket to Mauritius and flew out of JFK airport that evening.

The victim’s family members and police went to the store the next day and found it locked. Police used a key provided by the family to enter the store, where they found the victim in the back dead with the zip ties around his neck. The victim also sustained bruising to his eye and a gash on his head.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Port Louis, and the U.S. Marshals Service worked with the Office of the Attorney General of Mauritius and the Mauritian Police Force to secure Desalles’ arrest and extradition. The District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the extradition efforts.