St. Albans Man Faces 25 Years
A 22-year-old St. Albans man has been convicted of the December 2011 attempted murder of a 21-year-old man who he had been arguing with on-line over Facebook postings made by a mutual female friend.
As a result of the shooting, the victim’s right leg had to be amputated in order to save his life.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the defendant as McHarland Cotiere, 22, of 191st Street in St. Albans, who was convicted last Friday, Mar. 14, of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a 10-day jury trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth C. Holder, who set sentencing for Mar. 31.
Brown said, “[Cotiere] has been convicted of a violent and senseless assault, which caused the victim to lose his leg and almost his life. The attack was apparently instigated by comments made during a conversation that the two individuals had on the social networking site Facebook. Instead of just shutting off his computer and forgetting about the argument, the defendant chose to get a gun and confront the victim in person at his residence.”
Cotiere, who has been held in jail in lieu of $250,000 since his arraignment in April 2012, faces up to 25 years in prison
According to trial testimony, Cotiere had an argument on Facebook with the victim, then 19, at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 27, 2011, during which the victim provided his address to Cotiere, who soon after appeared at his residence.
The two men spoke and during their conversation, Cotiere pulled out a .380 caliber pistol and shot the victim in the stomach. As the victim began to run away, Cotiere chased after him and fired several more rounds in his direction before the man collapsed and Cotiere fled the scene.
Police recovered two .380 caliber shell casings and a 380-caliber pistol on the ground near the crime scene.
The victim was taken to a local Queens hospital in serious condition and treated for gunshot wounds to the stomach and the arm. The gunshot to the stomach struck his urethra, bowel and iliac artery, which, in turn, led to the victim’s right leg being amputated above the knee.
The investigation was handled by Det. James Lusk of the 103rd Detective Squad.
Cotiere was arrested in Marietta (Cobb County), Georgia on Apr. 2, 2012, by members of the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, working with Det. George Gelada from the NYPD Violent Felony Apprehension Squad.
The extradition was handled by Senior Assistant District Attorney Alix Kucker, supervisor of the District Attorney’s Extraditions Unit, and Trial Prep Assistant Mariska Mooklal, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Therese M. Lendino, Grand Jury Bureau chief, and Patricia A. Malloy, deputy bureau chief, and the overall supervision of Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney James C. Quinn.
Assistant District Attorney Courtney Finnerty of the District Attorney’s Kew Gardens I Bureau prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Francesco Catarisano, bureau chief, and Robin Leopold and Raymond Scheer, deputy bureau chiefs, and the overall supervision of Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney James C. Quinn.
