Slay charge may loom in punch death

An assistant Wake Forest University basketball coach could face murder charges now that the death of a man he fatally punched has been declared a homicide, authorities said Friday.

Jamill Jones, 35, was already charged with assault for punching Sandor Szabo during a confrontation in Long island City on Sunday. He was released on his own recognizance after a brief court hearing Thursday evening.

After being hit, Szabo, also 35, fell back and hit his head on the pavement. He suffered fractures to the left side of his face and bleeding to the brain and died after he was taken off life support on Tuesday.

An autopsy revealed that he died of “blunt impact injury of head with brain injury.” The city Medical Examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide.

Officials said charges against Jones could be upgraded during his next court appearance, which is set for October.

Jones surrendered to police early Thursday, with his lawyer at his side.

Szabo was returning to his Long Island City, Queens, hotel after attending his stepsister’s wedding when he banged on the window of Jones’ parked SUV on 29th St. near 41st Ave. at 1:15 a.m., officials said.

His brother told the Daily News he may have thought the SUV was a cab, and he was trying to get the Jones’ attention.

Instead, the North Carolina hoops coach punched him, sending him flying backward, cops said. His head slammed into the sidewalk, and he never regained consciousness, authorities say.

Szabo’s stepfather, Bob Kent, said that his son was hit so hard “his lip was pushed into his upper tooth (which came through his lip).”

Bob Kent didn’t know why Jones didn’t call for help when Szabo fell to the ground. Instead, the basketball coach drove off, he said.

Jones joined the coaching staff at Wake Forest in 2017 after working at the University of Central Florida, Virginia Commonwealth University and Florida Gulf Coast University.