A St. Albans man was found guilty of killing his nephew at a family barbecue during Memorial Day weekend in 2023. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before delivering the verdict.
Durran Morgan, 40, of Pineville Lane, was convicted of murder on Nov. 25 in Queens Supreme Court for gunning down his nephew, 25-year-old Chevaughn Millings, over payment for the chicken served at the family gathering. Morgan was also convicted of assault for shooting his niece in front of the family.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise, who presided at trial, set sentencing for Dec. 16, at which time Morgan faces up to 50 years to life in prison.
According to the charges and trial testimony, on May 27, 2023, at approximately 9:13 p.m., Morgan, along with numerous family members, was having a barbecue at the family home located at 188-10 Pineville Lane in St. Albans. The defendant and his nephew began to argue about payment for the meal, and Millings and another guest shoved Morgan out of a side door at the house. Morgan then went to the front door, re-entered the home, and encountered his nephew. He pulled out a handgun from his waistband and shot Millings 10 times. Millings was struck in the abdomen and legs. According to trial records, the defendant’s 20-year-old niece, who was standing near Millings, was hit multiple times in the leg and grazed by a bullet on her forehead. She survived the shooting and is continuing to recover nearly 30 months later.
Police from the 113th Precinct responded to a 911 call regarding shots fired at the house and discovered Millings, who lived at the home, with multiple gunshot wounds, and his wounded sister. EMS responded to the crime scene and rushed them to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where Millings was pronounced dead, while his sister was listed in stable condition.
Morgan drove away from the crime scene in a white Mercedes-Benz SUV and fled to Georgia after the fatal shooting and later returned to Queens to surrender at the 113th Precinct on Sunday, June 4, 2023.
“What should have been a joyous holiday weekend turned to complete tragedy when the defendant shot and killed his 25-year-old nephew over a petty dispute about food payment,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “He also seriously injured his own niece during a shooting that happened in view of other relatives.”
Morgan was convicted by the jury of murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Trial opening began on Nov. 20, and summations took place on Tuesday, before the jury reached a guilty verdict in less than two hours.
“Gun violence is never the answer to an argument,” Katz said. “The defendant has now been found guilty of murder and will be sent to prison when he is sentenced on December 16.”
