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Brooklyn resident James Wilson was convicted of second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon for his role in the fatal Hempstead shooting of 28-year-old Matthew Gilreath in Nassau County.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said that at approximately 2:45 a.m. on Feb. 18, 2019, Gilreath was standing in the doorway of a Terrace Avenue apartment when an argument broke out with Wilson.
Wilson fired six shots during the altercation, striking Gilreath twice in the head, Donnelly said, continuing to shoot as his victim’s body was falling to the ground.
During the incident, Wilson was also shot once by Gilreath in the abdomen, the DA noted.
Gilreath was taken to the Nassau University Medical Center for treatment of his gunshot wounds, and was later pronounced dead. Following the shooting, Donnelly said that co-conspirator Raphael Carter, age 34, of Hempstead, took the gun from Wilson and attempted to hide it in his apartment to avoid prosecution.
Police said that investigators never recovered the weapon.
Wilson was arrested on Feb. 18, 2019, and Carter days later on Feb. 20, 2019, by members of the Nassau County Police Department following an investigation.
“There is no dispute that James Wilson intended to kill Matthew Gilreath, after firing six shots in rapid succession – two aimed directly at the victim’s face and head – as they argued in the doorway of 100 Terrace Avenue,” Donnelly said after the jury’s decision was announced after less than two hours of deliberation.
“We are pleased with the jury’s verdict and that Wilson will be held accountable for this senseless murder.”
Donnelly said that Carter pleaded guilty in January 2020 to criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence. He is reportedly now out on parole.
Wilson is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, May 24, when he will face a term of up to 40 years to life in prison.
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