TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2005

D.A. BROWN: FAR ROCKAWAY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MURDER IN SHOOTING DEATH OF EX-GIRLFRIEND’S BOYFRIEND; FACES 17 ½ YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a Far Rockaway man has pled guilty to the murder in October 2003 of the boyfriend of the defendant’s ex-girlfriend. He is expected to be sentenced to 17 ½ years to life in prison.

District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant has admitted his guilt, waived his right to appeal and acknowledged that he was responsible for the shooting death of a 36-year-old man in Long Island City, Queens in October 2003. The defendant is a threat to society and the sentence to be imposed -- a prison term of 17 1/2-years to life -- is more than warranted by what was a terrible crime.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Sean Harris, 37, of 54-30 Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway, Queens, who said he was employed as a maintenance worker. The defendant pled guilty yesterday to Murder in the Second Degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Hanophy who indicated that he would sentence the defendant to 17 ½ years to life in prison on September 7, 2005.

District Attorney Brown said that the defendant admitted in court that on October 25, 2003 about 1:38 a.m. inside the defendant’s ex-girlfriend’s Ravenswood Housing Development apartment at 12-15 36th Avenue in Long Island City, Queens he fatally shot Michael McCoy, 36, two times, striking him one time in the chest with a loaded .38 caliber revolver.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Cary O’Connor of the New York City Police Department’s 114 Detective Squad.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Peter V. Lomp of the District Attorney’s Homicide Trials Bureau under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Jack Warsawsky, Deputy Bureau Chief and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.