By Juan Soto
ST. ALBANS — Two Queens men were sentenced to 15 years in prison for the shooting death of a woman during a birthday party at a St. Albans home in 2011.
A jury found Oneil Mars, 27, and Nicholas Allen, 25, guilty of manslaughter in the killing of 26-year-old Avalisa Morris.
“The party was supposed to be a festive, celebratory event, but instead it turned tragic when a young woman was senselessly shot to death, all because the defendants had easy access to illegal firearms,” said Richard Brown, the Queens district attorney. “Lengthy prison terms were meted out to hold them accountable for their actions.”
Mars and Allen were convicted Nov. 13 of manslaughter charges, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment after a three-week jury trial.
According to trial testimony, Brown said, when Mars got into an argument with his girlfriend at the February 2011 party, he and Allen were asked to leave the celebration. A little later, they tried to get back in and force the door open. A little after, gunfire erupted and two bullets pierced the door and struck Morris in the head.
