Keith Howard

The City
10 Years a Detainee: Why Some Spend Years on Rikers, Despite Right to Speedy Trial
By Reuven Blau
August 17, 2022

— Excerpt

Back and Forth

Locked up for eight years, Dr. Keith Howard, who is facing a second-degree murder charge, is the second-longest-serving detainee on Rikers, records show.

He’s been held without bail since May 14, 2014, when authorities charged him with killing his tenant, Karla Shah-Boguwolski, 39, in Arverne, Queens, days before superstorm Sandy. He initially fled to Maryland after the murder, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.

In 2017, his trial ended in a hung jury. A second trial in 2019 resulted in a mistrial due to jurors’ scheduling conflicts. Howard has also changed lawyers multiple times, court records show.

Howard, a former psychiatrist now in his 60s, has long maintained his innocence.

The third trial is scheduled for the fall.