By Daniel Katzive
A jury in lower Manhattan on Friday convicted an Upper West Side resident of murder. The verdict came three years after the broad daylight shooting death of a 27-year-old man who was sitting in a car at West 102nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
Donta King, Jr., who was 24 at the time of the murder, was convicted by a New York State Supreme Court jury of second degree murder and firearms charges in the fatal shooting of Ronald Thomas on May 1, 2022. Thomas, who was 27, was visiting the city from Virginia, according to reports at the time. He was shot in the head while sitting in a white Mercedes-Benz SUV parked near West 102nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue at around noon on that day. The shooting followed a dispute outside of 140 West 102nd Street in the Frederick Douglass Houses, according to the NYPD.
King subsequently left New York state, but he was arrested in Pennsylvania three months later and brought back to stand trial in New York, where a grand jury had previously indicted him. He has been held on Rikers Island since then.
At the time of King’s arrest, the New York Post reported that Thomas had been fighting with a woman before he was shot. The paper, citing police sources, said that King, the woman, and Thomas all knew each other.
In a statement provided to the West Side Rag, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said: “I commend our prosecutors for presenting a strong and compelling case that will ensure accountability for this tragic act of gun violence. Combating gun violence continues to be my top priority, and while murders and shootings continue to decrease by double digits, there is still a lot more work to do.”
West Side Rag has reached out to King’s attorney and will update this story with any comments he provides.
This was the only murder to occur in the 24th Precinct in 2022.
Sentencing is set for June 17 before Judge Michele S. Rodney.
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He’ll be out in 5. This state actuallt releases cop killers.
43 cop murderers released since 2017 with the vast majority of the parole board appointed by former Governor Cuomo, who is positioning himself as the “moderate” in this years mayoral donkey race. One of the board members actually married an incarcerated murderer.
Bill,
I disagree.
He will be out in 3 years, not 5.
Lazy & unsubstantiated comment
Why call this comment lazy when your comment also lacks any information or reference? A lot of people are under the impression that criminal sentences are much too short. I think that is the point the OP was making. Also, what the OP said is true: since 2017, 41 cop killers have been released.
After five years?
Yes, after 5 years. Probably not much more than that to be realistic. Maybe 7 or 8?
Why is this described as gun violence? A gun was the weapon used but the perp – convicted felon – killed the man. Does Bragg believe if there were no guns the victim would be alive? Do violent people not have choice or free will? Words reveal a lot.
Yes, without a gun it would have been much harder for the murderer to kill someone and the victim might in fact still be alive.
A Knife is a great way to kill someone and not get caught. Quiet and easy to destroy.
Stop being naive .Shooting someone is psychologically far different than knifing someone .
It is easier to kill someone with a gun. But people kill other people with knives all the time
Guns are more dangerous, but if you want to kill someone, you will find a way.
depends. knife violence is real, too. Seems like an arbitrary way to channel blame away from the person who did the killing.
We need to do away with the phrase “gun violence.” Enough with the euphemisms.
Just a “tragic act of gun violence.” It’s merely the closing act of a Shakespearean tragedy to him. Not a “heinous cold-blooded daytime murder.”
He did prosecute it successfully- what is your issue?
Words matter. There’s no reason for the preeminent law enforcement agent in this state to be mincing his words about (a successfully prosecuted) murder. Nothing to lose.. Calling a spade a spade, and issuing the strongest possible condemnation of crimes like this can go a long way in restoring trust in him.
Did they ever catch whoever stabbed those two guys to death in the NYCHA building near there on Amsterdam? I think it was on the third floor.
https://www.westsiderag.com/2020/05/31/family-aches-for-answers-as-victims-identified-in-double-murder
There was an arrest in that case. And the man arrested is currently in Attica, according to NY inmate lookup.
Arrest story: https://www.westsiderag.com/2020/06/11/bronx-man-arrested-in-double-homicide-on-102nd-street
Three years to get to this; the courts must be incredibly backlogged. At least the murderer was in custody all that time.
Agreed. What took so long? Was it the defendant stalling or backlog in the courts.
And what are the suggested sentences for this? Please let us know what the actual sentencing is. Thank you for following up on this.
Why not a first degree murder? Shouldn’t the punishment for this be life in prison? What stops this man from killing again once he is released? Why should we take a chance and give him another opportunity to murder?
Only killings of law enforcement officers, trial witnesses, judges, first responders, or acts of terrorism qualify for first-degree murder charges in NY state. Most homicides you read about are charged as second-degree murder.
Here’s the statute:
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/125.27
If you actually saw how long the rap sheets were on most criminals, you would not believe you eyes. Often pages long.