D.A. BROWN: FAR ROCKAWAY MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN SHOOTING DEATH OF 21-YEAR-OLD MAN ON “A” TRAIN IN EDGEMERE; FACES 25 YEARS IN PRISON

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a Far Rockaway man has pled guilty in the shooting death of a 21-year-old subway rider on the “A” train at the Beach 36th Street subway station in Edgemere, Queens, in November 2003.

District Attorney Brown said, “The crime is another example of mindless gun-related violence that takes innocent lives and recklessly endangers public safety. Under the circumstances, the long prison sentence to be imposed is more than justified.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Raymond Burney, 19, of 394 Beach 25th Street, Far Rockaway, Queens. The defendant pled guilty earlier today to Manslaughter in the First Degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert C. Hanophy who indicated that he would sentence the defendant to a determinate term of 25 years in jail at sentencing on January 18, 2006.

District Attorney Brown said that the defendant admitted that on November 28, 2003 at approximately 2:00 p.m., he while acting in concert with co-defendant Mark Ebanks, 19, of 26-46 Far Rockaway Boulevard, Queens, robbed the victim, Shamel Garrett, on the Beach 36th Street “A” train station in Edgemere, Queens, and that they shot him once in the back with a .38 caliber revolver, causing his death.

Defendant Ebanks previously pled guilty to Robbery in the First Degree on July 6, 2005 before Justice Hanophy and is expected to be sentenced to a determinate term of 20 years in prison at sentencing in January.

The District Attorney said that defendant Ebanks has admitted that he acted in concert with defendant Burney when they robbed Mr. Garrett at the train station in Far Rockaway where the victim was shot and fatally wounded on the platform.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Naiburg of the District Attorney’s Homicide Trials Bureau prosecuted the case 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 S. Saunders.