BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Buffalo teen has been found guilty after shooting and killing a 24-year-old man.
Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced on Tuesday that a jury found the now 16-year-old guilty of one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.
The verdict was delivered on Monday afternoon after a two-hour deliberation that followed a four-day trial.
Buffalo Police responded to the shooting at 12:23 a.m. on Sunday, June 26, 2022, on the 100 block of Spaulding Avenue in the City of Buffalo.
The victim, Morrell Buster Jr., had been found by officers dead in the middle of the road after suffering from a gunshot wound to his neck. The illegal gun used on Buster by the 14-year-old juvenile at the time has not yet been recovered.
Since the juvenile offender is eligible for youthful offender adjudication, he has been scheduled for sentencing before Erie County Court designated Youth Part Judge, Susan Eagan, on Wednesday, April 3 at 9:30 a.m. He could face a sentence of 3 1/3 to 10 years of incarceration if denied youthful offender status.
The juvenile offender's name remains unreleased at this time because of his age, and he continues to be held without bail in the custody of the Erie County Youth Services Center.