A reputed Latin Kings gang member accused in the road-rage beating death of a New York City firefighter has been charged with murder.

Joseph Desmond, 29, pleaded not guilty to one count of second-degree murder on Tuesday in Brooklyn Supreme Court. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Authorities say Desmond beat FDNY firefighter Faizal Coto, 33, to death with a 'hard object' after the pair got got into a minor accident on the Belt Parkway in South Brooklyn on December 9.

Speaking to the court at a bail hearing Tuesday, Brooklyn prosecutor Andres Palacio described how Desmond 'violently [struck] the left side of [Coto’s] temple, causing multiple fractures of his skull and hemorrhaging of the brain', adding that the injuries caused 'almost instant death'.

Judge Vincent Del Giudice granted Palacio's request for the Staten Island man to be held without bail.

Joseph Desmond, 29, has been charged with second-degree murder in the December 9 road-rage beating death of New York City firefighter Faizal Coto, 33. Desmond, a reputed Latin Kings gang member, pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Tuesday (pictured)

A judge granted the prosecutions' request that Desmond be held without bail due to the brutal nature of the crime. The Staten Island man is seen walking into the courtroom in handcuffs

Coto, a 33-year-old off-duty FDNY firefighter (left and right) was beaten to death in a suspected road-rage incident on December 9 after a collision on a highway in south Brooklyn

Police say that Coto was driving his 2008 Ford Mustang down the Belt Parkway at about 4.45am when he got into a minor fender bender.

Surveillance video shows that Coto's Mustang pulled to the shoulder along with the other vehicle, a gray or silver 2006 Infiniti G35 with New York license plate JEA 2402.

A physical altercation ensued, and Coto was struck in the head with an unknown object by one of the occupants of the Infiniti, police said.

Desmond (above in his mugshot) was arrested on December 10 after when a task force of NYPD cops and US Marshals tracked him down at a roadside motel in South Amboy, New Jersey

The Infiniti sped away from the scene of the brutal beating, and a passing motorist alerted authorities upon seeing Coto lying on the shoulder by his car with severe trauma to his face and head.

Paramedics rushed the firefighter to Coney Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Desmond was arrested the next day after a task force of NYPD cops and US Marshals used his vehicle registration to track him down at a roadside motel in South Amboy, New Jersey.

According to court filings, the suspect told arresting officers: 'Man, I was going to surrender Wednesday. My car has been all over the news and I was going to visit parole on Wednesday anyways.'

He then told investigators: 'No disrespect, sir, but I’m not talking. I’m just going to stay quiet.'

Desmond is schedule to appear back in court on March 1.

Desmond (pictured leaving the court Tuesday) faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted

Police say officers responding to the Belt Parkway crash (pictured) found Coto lying next to his damaged 2008 Ford Mustang with head trauma around 4.45am

The vehicle involved in the minor crash that is believed to belong to Desmond is pictured. During his arrest, the suspect allegedly told police: 'Man, I was going to surrender Wednesday. My car has been all over the news and I was going to visit parole on Wednesday anyways'

Coto, who was with the fire department for three years, was assigned to a Coney Island engine company.

He was also an aspiring rapper and hip hop artist performing under the name FAIYA.

Coto recently posted on Facebook that he was getting back into his music and he thanked his fans for their support.

Loved ones shared an outpouring of shock and grief on Coto's Facebook page upon the news of his death, saying he would have never started the altercation that led to his death.

'I just don't understand how this could have happened to you! So full of life and so friendly to everyone!', wrote ‎Cristina Palmeri‎.

'He was proper, decent and lovely, friends with all and a dream maker,' wrote ‎Louis Rigaud Bois.

'He will be for ever in our hearts and his passing is a reminder to us all that the world is evil and we should never stop enjoying and cherishing the present with our friends and families.'