Wednesday, July 13, 2005

ST. ALBANS MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER FOR 1999 HOMICIDE;
FACES 10 YEARS IN PRISON

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that a St. Albans man has pled guilty to manslaughter for March 1999 shooting death of a Queens man that the defendant mistakenly believed had been involved in the murder of rap star Freaky Tah three days earlier.

District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant has admitted his guilt, waived appeal and will be sent to prison for his violent and deadly crime. The sentence to be imposed by the court is more than warranted.”

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Corey Bussey, 28, of 114-36 209th Street, St. Albans, Queens who pled guilty earlier today to Manslaughter in the First Degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Mark H. Spires who indicated that he would sentence the defendant to a determinate term of 10 years in prison at sentencing on August 2, 2005.

District Attorney Brown said that the defendant admitted in court that on March 31, 1999 at 111th Avenue and 128th Street in South Ozone Park, at approximately 11:15 p.m., he shot the victim, Roderick Paget, 21, fatally wounding him. An autopsy disclosed that the victim had been struck by six bullets in the head, side, arm and leg.

The defendant was arrested two weeks later when he returned to court on an unrelated drug case for which he was later sentenced to serve three to nine years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Eugene P. Reibstein, Trial Coordinator, of the District Attorney’s Major Crimes Division is prosecuting the case under the supervision Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa.