A Queens grand jury on Monday returned a five-count indictment against the man accused of murdering a Muslim religious leader and his assistant in Queens earlier this month.
Oscar Morel, 36, faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder charges.
He did not appear at the hearing at a Kew Gardens courthouse earlier in the morning.
But members of the Muslim community did show up, gathering outside the court to demand justice.
Prosecutors say Morel gunned down Imam Maulama Akonjee and his friend Thara Uddin after they left a Mosque in Ozone Park on August 13.
Morel's attorney says his client is maintaining his innocence, saying a witness identified another man in a line-up.
"I was served with a notice that there was an identification in a photo array by a witness. It was then told in court there was a line-up. I was never served with any notice of a line-up and the reason being, whoever looked at the line-up looked at the wrong person," said Defense Attonrye Mike Schwed.
Morel is due back in court on September 1 where he is expected to be arraigned.