By Zach Patberg
Shamel Hollenquest, 22, of 15-02 Mott Ave., was found guilty of second-degree murder after a two-week trial in Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens.At the trial, the jury of five women and seven men also convicted Hollenquest of criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. He faces up to 52 1/3 years to life in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced by Queens Supreme Court Judge Arthur Cooperman on March 15.In what prosecutors described as a drug-related shooting, Hollenquest approached a black Lexus parked on Gateway Boulevard in Far Rockaway around 1:16 a.m. on July 30, 2003 and fired several shots at the four passengers inside, hitting two in the forehead. He then fled the scene and threw the .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol into a yard around the corner where police later found it, authorities said.Rudolph Michel, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim, Shannon Day, 33, died at the hospital a short time later, authorities said.The two other passengers in the car served as witnesses to slayings. Police hunted for Hollenquest for the next five months. In December, he was arrested at a relative's house in Rochester and charged with the shooting.”(Hollenquest) has been convicted of intentionally gunning down two men who were just sitting in a parked vehicle on a hot summer night,” DA Richard Brown said. “Fleeing the scene immediately following the shooting, (he) thought he could hide from the law and avoid punishment.”Reach reporter Zach Patberg by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
