The teen who gunned down a beloved mom during a botched robbery inside her Manhattan apartment building last month will be tried as an adult, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Dante Schaller, 16, was indicted on murder and robbery charges for the gutless killing of 57-year-old Ying Zhu Liu at the Twin Bridges building on Sept. 9, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.
The DA’s office confirmed that Schaller, who turned 16 just days before the fatal shooting, will be prosecuted as an adult.
The teen wore a black dress shirt and blue tie as he pleaded not guilty at his Wednesday arraignment before Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Stephen Antigani.
Prosecutors have said that Schaller and a still-at-large accomplice wore masks to hide their faces when they followed Liu’s husband, Shen Yan, into the Market Street condo’s elevator around 10:50 p.m. and pulled a handgun on him to rob him.
When the elevator reached the 8th floor — where Yan’s family lives — the dad saw his son waiting for him in the hallway and warned him to “stay back” since the robbers had a gun, according to prosecutors.
The son, 32-year-old Lin Rong Yan, tried to help before he was pistol-whipped by one of the suspects.
His mom heard the ruckus in the hallway and stepped in to intervene — but one of the muggers raised the gun and fired a single shot at Liu’s face from three feet away, according to a criminal complaint.
Liu, a home health aide, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Schaller and his accomplice were captured on surveillance video from a nearby deli wearing the same clothing they wore shortly before the alleged murder — but without their masks on, prosecutors have said.
The teen was identified by a red hoodie he allegedly wore during the murder, which was later found by investigators when they swept his East 167th Street home, authorities said.
Police also discovered one live 9mm round at his home — and they also recovered a 9mm shell from a step in the stairwell where the alleged killing took place.
Schaller, who had turned 16 on Sept. 11, has an open felony case for assaulting a police officer, according to sources.
At his arraignment, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Antoinette Carter handed over a black zippered bag containing several flash drives of evidence, which she called “quite extensive.”
Schaller’s attorney, Shari Vrod, reserved her bail application for a later date, and the judge continued remand, meaning the teen will remain locked up at least until is next court date Dec. 9.
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