Tuesday, August 2, 2005

D.A. BROWN: ST. ALBANS MAN SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR 1999 KILLING

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that a St. Albans man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the March 31, 1999, shooting death of a Queens man whom the defendant mistakenly believed had been involved in the murder of rap star Freaky Tah three days earlier.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Corey Bussey, 26, of 114-36 209th Street in St. Albans, Queens. Bussey pled guilty on July 13, 2005, to Manslaughter in the First Degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Mark H. Spires who imposed today's determinate sentence of 10 years in prison.

District Attorney Brown said, “The victim, Roderick Padgett, was fatally wounded in an execution style shooting in a terrible and tragic case of mistaken identity. The defendant Bussey opened fire and took revenge on the wrong man in the erroneous belief that the victim had been involved in the murder three days earlier of his friend, the rapper Freaky Tah. Though today’s sentencing closes the book on the case, it doesn’t eradicate the harm and suffering that the defendant’s action inflicted on the victim and his family.”

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

Assistant District Attorney Eugene P. Reibstein, Trials Coordinator, of the District Attorney’s Major Crimes Division prosecuted the case under the supervision Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles T. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.