Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Rayshawn Cherry, 28, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the shooting death of man in St. Albans, Queens. The victim was gunned down following a foot chase upon leaving the defendant’s girlfriend’s home on June 11, 2021.

District Attorney Katz said, “My Office will not stand for the use of deadly weapons to resolve grievances or disputes on our streets. In pleading guilty, this defendant has admitted guilt in causing the death of another individual and will now be sentenced to prison as punishment for his actions.”

Cherry, of Grove Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, pleaded guilty on July 13, 2022 to manslaughter in the first degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant. Justice Pandit-Durant indicated that she would sentence the defendant to 18 years in prison to be followed by 5 years post release supervision on August 2, 2022.

According to the charges, at approximately 10:45 p.m. on June 11^th, Cherry followed the victim Wayne Joseph moments after the man exited a basement apartment on Quencer Road where the defendant’s girlfriend resides. The defendant approached the victim and proceeded to chase the 29-year-old man around parked vehicles and past several homes while holding a firearm. Moments later, the defendant shot the victim in his torso and leg, fatally wounding him.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Courtney Finnerty, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Peter J. McCormack III, Senior Deputy Bureau Chief, John Kosinski and Karen Ross, Deputy Bureau Chiefs and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.