A Ridgewood man faces a quarter of a century in prison after he was found guilty of attempted murder for a 2020 armed robbery in Corona.
Orlando Plummer, 47, of Fresh Pond Road, was convicted of attempted murder Monday, Aug. 15, following a two-week trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice John Zoll. Plummer was found guilty of shooting a 44-year-old pedestrian in the stomach and robbing him of his backpack on the Horace Harding Expressway, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Plummer followed the victim, who years earlier had dated the mother of his child, for nearly an hour before gunning him down in broad daylight on the afternoon of June 14, 2020.
According to trial testimony, Plummer confronted the victim McAntoine Valery near the intersection of Horace Harding Expressway and Calloway Street at around 4 p.m. after following him from Forest Hills to Corona. Plummer was accompanied by two accomplices who drove in a silver Mitsubishi vehicle. Plummer donned a mask and approached Valery with the two accomplices and accosted him, punching him repeatedly. Plummer hit him in the back of the head with a hard object and directed the two accomplices to take the victim’s backpack. Plummer then shot Valery once in the stomach, took his backpack, and left the scene on foot.
The victim was rushed to an area hospital where he required surgery and 36 staples to treat his extensive injuries which included gunshot entry and exit wounds in his abdomen and back and internal organ damage.
According to trial testimony, video surveillance footage showed Plummer near the scene of the attack and earlier that day unmasked in the same clothing, leading detectives to his identification.
“This defendant shot an innocent man following a violent robbery in broad daylight, leaving him clinging to life,” Katz said. “There is no place for such senseless and brutal acts in Queens County. Following a two-week trial, the defendant has been convicted of attempted murder and he faces a significant prison term as punishment for his actions.”
Justice Zoll set sentencing for Sept. 6. Plummer faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
