Killed Man In Apt., Then Another On Bus
A Queens grand jury has indicted a 34-year-old Jamaica man on two counts of second-degree murder and one count of second degree attempted murder following a shooting rampage last month during which he allegedly shot to death an 18-year-old teenager in his Jamaica home and then allegedly shot and killed one man and injured another on a city bus while trying to escape the first incident.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the defendant as Damel O. Burton, 34, of Foch Boulevard in Jamaica. He has been indicted by a grand jury on two counts of second-degree murder, one count of second-degree attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Burton has been held without bail since his criminal court arraignment on Dec. 3, 2011. Earlier this month, he was ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination. The indictment was filed last Wednesday, Jan. 18, in Queens County Supreme Court.
If convicted, Burton faces 25 years to life in prison on the most serious charges.
“This defendant’s alleged actions have forever altered the lives of his victims and their families,” Brown said. “He is accused of shooting his first victim in the sanctity of his own home and then terrorizing a city bus filled with passengers as he al- legedly shot two more victims-one fatally. These are serious crimes that will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to the charges, between approximately 3:40 and 4:10 p.m., on Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, inside of a Foch Boulevard apartment 2H, Burton shot the first victim, Keith Murrell, once in the chest. Murrell then fled into his room, closed the door and jumped from his window to a grassy area below. He was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital later that day.
Reportedly, Burton left the apartment and walked to the Q111 bus stop, where he boarded a bus. While on the bus the defendant allegedly shot the second victim, Marvin Gilkes, in the back of the head. He then allegedly shot a third victim, whose identity is know to the police and the district attorney’s office, in the face.
Gilkes was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical service personnel. The third shooting victim was removed to Jamaica Hospital where he underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to his mouth and face .
Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney Daniel A. Saunders is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa.
It was noted that an indictment is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
