A Social Worker Accidentally Knocked on Wrong Door. Man Who Answered Allegedly Stomped Her to Death: Police

Maria Coto, 56, died after suffering severe brain bleed, brain swelling and multiple facial fractures in May, per authorities

A New York man has been indicted on several charges after authorities allege he stomped and beat a social worker to death after she accidentally knocked on his uncle's door.

Maria Coto, a 56-year-old social worker, was viciously attacked during a site visit on May 14 in a Peekskill, N.Y. residence, according to the Westchester County’s District Attorney’s office.

Authorities arrested Hasseem Jenkins, 31, and charged him with several offenses, including two counts of second-degree murder, the D.A.’s office announced this week.

On the day of the attack, Coto mistakenly knocked on the wrong door while she was conducting a site visit, The Journal News reports, citing authorities. The home belongs to Jenkins’ uncle, police say, and after answering the door, Jenkins allegedly attacked Coto.

Jenkins “repeatedly punched her in the face, chased her into a neighbor’s apartment and repeatedly kicked her in the head while wearing heavy boots,” the D.A.’s office alleged in their statement on Tuesday, July 31.

When Coto reportedly ran to a neighbor’s apartment, Jenkins allegedly followed her there and continued to beat her, per the indictment,The Journal News and News 12 Westchester report.

This specific act later led to burglary charges against him as well, the indictment says, per The Journal News.

Coto was able to call 911 at the beginning of the attack, according to unspecified court documents cited byThe Journal News, but Jenkins allegedly took her phone away.

When Peekskill Police Department officers arrived at the scene, they allegedly found Coto’s phone in Jenkins’ pocket, authorities alleged in the statement. The 911 call initially placed by Coto was reportedly still active when police discovered the phone, per the court documents, The Journal News reports.

After resisting arrest, Jenkins was eventually detained, the D.A.'s office alleged in the statement.

Once in custody, Jenkins allegedly told police that when he opened the door to Coto, he grabbed her by her hair and began punching her because he feared being attacked himself, authorities allege in the court documents, per The Journal News.

When she ran to the other apartment, Jenkins alleged he continued to kick her in the head while she bled heavily, per the documents.

Coto suffered “severe brain bleed, brain swelling and multiple facial fractures,” according to the D.A.'s office. She died five weeks later.

Coto had plans to travel after retiring next year, her family told The Journal News.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Her goddaughter Judy Yanes remembered her as a "beautiful person inside and out," the outlet reports, adding that her loved ones say it was especially jarring that Coto died while trying to help people.

"It was such a great loss for us," Yanes said. "We want justice for her, for her name, for her family and for the people she worked with."

Jenkins has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of burglary, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon and resisting arrest, per the D.A.'s office.

On Tuesday, Jenkins was indicted in a Westchester County court and entered pleas of not guilty, per ABC 7 NY, CBS News and The Journal News.

His next court appearance is in August, per the D.A.'s office. It's not clear if he has retained an attorney.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.