Quantcast

Jamaica man convicted of killing friend for car

By Courtney Dentch

A Jamaica man was convicted last week of fatally shooting a 50-year-old acquaintance while trying to steal his car two years ago.

Tyrone Johnson, 25, of 153-15 122nd Ave. in Jamaica was found guilty of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted robbery and two weapons charges by a Kew Gardens jury after they deliberated for 4 1/2 hours, said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Armed with guns, Johnson and an accomplice who is still at large approached Leroy Vann on 112th Avenue on Feb. 5, 2000 and demanded the keys to Vann’s Jaguar, Brown said.

Vann, a 50-year-old resident of Jamaica, refused and the two men threw him against the car, Brown said. Johnson and his accomplice tried to handcuff Vann, but Vann resisted and the guns fired, he said. A bullet struck Vann in the chest, fatally wounding him, Brown said.

“A jury of the defendant’s peers has found the defendant guilty of intentionally causing the death of an acquaintance by shooting him with a handgun,” Brown said in a statement. “The defendant violently ended another person’s life and he must now be held accountable and punished for his lethal conduct.”

Although Johnson denied he was at the scene during the trial, Vann was able to live long enough after the attack to tell his mother the name of his attacker, Brown said. Johnson was arrested two weeks later, he said.

Johnson faces 25 years to life and was scheduled to be sentenced by state Supreme Court Justice Jaime Rios on July 9, Brown said.