A South Jamaica man was found guilty of murder more than a decade after he fatally shot a man outside a South Richmond Hill house party, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday.
Troy Thomas, 36, formerly of 156th Street, was convicted by a jury of murder in the second degree following a nearly weeklong trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky.
According to trial testimony, Thomas became involved in a petty dispute with 20-year-old Keith Frank at a house party in December 2011. The victim, who had just become a father eight months earlier, was fatally shot in the torso outside of a home on 132nd Street near 109th Avenue at about 4:44 a.m.
EMS responded to the scene and rushed the victim to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where he died of a single gunshot. Thomas immediately fled Queens but was found living in Guyana by NYPD detectives nearly eight years later. He fought extradition but was eventually returned to Queens to face the murder charges.
“The defendant was on the run for approximately eight years before being brought back to Queens to face justice,” Katz said. “Yesterday, following 2 ½ hours of deliberations, a jury found the defendant guilty of committing this senseless slaying. The family of the victim was denied justice for more than a decade. Today, they can put this sad chapter behind them knowing the defendant will be punished for taking the life of their loved one.”
Justice Yavinsky set sentencing for June 17. At that time, Thomas faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
