By Scott Sieber
Capehart, of Corona, was the third teenager implicated in the crime in which he, Charles Bryant, 18, of Rosedale and Nayquan Miller, 18, jumped Huang Chen, 18, as he was making a Chinese food delivery to Miller's Rochdale Village apartment on Feb. 13, 2004, prosecutors said.The three teens beat the Woodside man with a bat and stabbed him repeatedly in the upper torso with a knife, prosecutors said.Following the gruesome attack, prosecutors said the boys disposed of the physical evidence of the crime, including blood-stained clothing, and dumped Chen's body in a pond in Brookville Park a few miles away.Capehart's accomplices were convicted of second-degree murder during separate trials last year. Bryant is currently serving a sentence of 51 1/3 years and Miller struck a deal with prosecutors in exchange for his testimony at Capehart's trial and is expected to be sentenced to 20 years to life.Early in the trial, Miller took the stand and testified that the murder was part of a gang initiation for the Gun Squad, an offshoot of the notorious Bloods gang.”The defendant and his two accomplices exhibited a predatory ruthlessness when they lured the victim to their home by phoning in a food order to a local Chinese restaurant and then laid in wait to pounce on him,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “Even when the victim pleaded with his three assailants to just take his money, they showed no mercy. Instead, they brutally murdered him and dumped his body into a pond so that he would not be able to identify them.”Capehart was found guilty of numerous charges, including second-degree murder, gang assault, robbery, tampering with evidence and criminal possession of a weapon.A jury of eight men and four women arrived at the guilty verdict Jan. 24 before Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert Hanophy.Chen's sister, Yvonne, said she was grateful for the district attorney's efforts and believed that justice was served.”We are relieved with this verdict,” she said. “He should get the maximum sentence. He deserves every day he will be spending behind bars.””We have waited so long for this. Even so, nothing will bring my son back,” said Huang's father, Xin Shou Chen, through tears after the verdict. “We hope no other family will ever have to suffer like this.”City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), who attended the trial proceedings to show support for the grieving family, said the conviction will bring them much-needed peace.”It also sends a strong message to those criminals who would prey on food delivery workers as easy targets, that justice will be pursued vigorously and relentlessly,” he said.Reach reporter Scott Sieber by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 7718-229-0300, ext. 138.
