A state Supreme Court jury on Tuesday convicted a 17-year-old boy for the 2023 shooting death of a Rochester teen during an armed burglary.
Raymere Alexander, who was 15 at the time of the homicide, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Suade McKnight on Feb. 23, 2023, according to a news release from the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office. Alexander and another teen – Brandon Williams, who was 17 at the time of the fatal shooting – were accused of entering a drug house on Alphonse Street in an apparent attempt to rob the location, according to Capt. Frank Umbrino of the Rochester Police Department.
Alexander and Williams broke into the house and became involved in a dispute with McKnight. According to the DA’s Office, the altercation escalated and Alexander shot and killed McKnight, reportedly with a bullet to his forehead.
Williams previously pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter for his role in McKnight’s death, according to the DA’s Office.
“Raymere Alexander violently stole the life of a 15-year-old teenager, ruining his own young life in the process,” District Attorney Sandra Doorley said in a news release. “Both Raymere Alexander and Brandon Williams broke into a house with the intention of promoting violence.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Schiano.
Both Alexander and Williams are each scheduled to be sentenced by state Supreme Court Justice Richard Healy in May, on May 30 for Alexander and May 9 for Williams. Alexander faces a sentence of between 7 1/2 years to life to 15 years to life in state prison since he was 15 and considered a juvenile offender at the time of the homicide. Williams faces a sentence with a range between 7 to 9 years in state prison, to be set by Healy.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Jury finds teen guilty in deadly Rochester shooting during break-in
Reporting by Victoria E. Freile, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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