The Brooklyn man who allegedly gunned down the mother of one of his children in an execution-style ambush on a Gramercy Park sidewalk was indicted on murder charges Thursday, Manhattan prosecutors said.
Clarkson Wilson, 44, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon at his arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court and was remanded into custody.
Prosecutors allege Wilson — who had at least one child with the victim, part-time IHOP waitress and exotic dancer Imani Armstrong — shot the 25-year-old “in cold blood” after she left work on Sept. 1.
The masked gunman waited for five hours outside the iHOP in Union Square and then followed Armstrong for several blocks east before blasting her at point-blank range in the back of the head, prosecutors said.
“As alleged, Clarkson Wilson murdered Imani Armstrong in cold blood after he waited hours outside her place of employment,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a statement.
“My thoughts are with Ms. Armstrong’s family and loved ones, who are experiencing immense pain. We are committed to pursuing full accountability and justice in this case,” he said.
Following his arrest on Sept. 3, Wilson allegedly denied shooting the young mom, telling law enforcement that the last time he had seen her was in May or June, according to court documents obtained by The Post.
Wilson claimed that he would send her money to help out with her kids, the filing states. He said the two had met at a shelter and admitted to knowing that Armstrong had since married.
Armstrong, who danced at an unspecified club using the name “Red,” had recently separated from her wife and had two children in foster care when she was fatally shot.
“I went to the facility where her kids were a few times I know she has a wife,” Wilson allegedly told investigators.
“I’ve been to the iHOP plenty of times. She [Imani] had issues with her manager at work,” he added, according to the court documents, “I didn’t shoot her.”
Armstrong moved to the Big Apple from Virginia about three years ago to be with the woman who later became her wife, then kept communication with her disapproving family to a minimum, her aunt previously told the Post.
Her accused killer has at least four prior complaints against him for alleged domestic violence stretching back to 2014.