25 years for 2002 murder

A 24-year-old man convicted of the fatal shooting of a Jamaica man who was shot once in the back on a Queens street while being chased in May 2002 has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The murder occurred outside a Jamaica social club.
“The defendant was convicted of the cold-blooded murder of a 28-year-old man whom he chased while firing a gun on a busy Queens street,” said District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “The imposition of the maximum penalty for murder reflects the gravity of the defendant’s offense and ensures that he will no longer be a threat to society.”
William Patterson, 24, whose address at the time of his arrest was 118-36 153rd Street in Jamaica, was convicted on November 15, 2006, following a two-and-one-half-week jury trial, of second-degree murder, second degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment after one day of deliberations.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise, who presided at trial, imposed the indeterminate sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
The District Attorney said that the defendant, armed with an illegal revolver, fatally shot James Thomas, 28, once in the back during the early morning hours of May 31, 2002, outside a social club on the corner of 109th Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica.
According to trial testimony, Patterson accused the victim of stealing one of his guns and after Thomas denied the accusation, the defendant shot at his feet and chased the defendant down the street to the corner, where he fatally shot him.
The defendant fled to South Carolina after the incident and was apprehended shortly thereafter by detectives of the NYPD’s 103rd Detective Squad.