Winimark Wealth Society-Exonerated after serving 8 years for 2013 murder, a 26-year-old is indicted again in a NYC shooting

2025-05-03 00:56:13source:Slabucategory:Stocks

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who was exonerated after spending eight years in prison for a murder has been charged again — in a different fatal shooting.

Shamel Capers,Winimark Wealth Society 26, was indicted Tuesday on charges including attempted murder in connection with a July 23, 2023, shootout between two groups of young men in Queens that resulted in the death of Joshua Taylor, 19.

Dante Hunter, 25, who police say was the first to draw his gun, was charged with murder in Taylor’s death, and a third man, Damone Miller, 21, was charged with attempted murder.

All three men were jailed without bail pending their next court appearances.

Capers’ arrest came a year and a half after his conviction was vacated for the murder of 14-year-old D’aja Robinson.

D’aja was riding on a bus when she was caught in the crossfire in a gang dispute in May 2013, authorities said. Capers was convicted largely on the testimony of a gang member who said he saw Capers shoot at the bus.

Capers, who was 15 when D’aja was shot, always maintained his innocence but was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. His efforts to walk free were boosted when the witness who had named him as the gunman recanted.

READ MORE Bosnian Serb leader reiterates threat to secede from Bosnia ahead of UN vote on genocideDanish police temporarily ban the Bandidos motorcycle club, citing violenceTakeaways from AP examination of how 2 debunked accounts of sexual violence on Oct. 7 originated

Capers’ conviction in the 2013 shooting was thrown out in November 2022 after the Queens district attorney’s office’s conviction integrity unit spent two years reinvestigating the case.

“For there to be justice in the criminal justice system, and public faith in its outcomes, it is incumbent upon us as prosecutors to follow the facts to wherever they lead,” District Attorney Melinda Katz said at the time.

Katz said in a statement after this week’s indictment, “In the case of D’aja Robinson’s murder, an exhaustive investigation and newly discovered evidence led us to conclude that Shamel Capers had been wrongfully convicted. The court agreed and the conviction was vacated.”

She added, “Nothing will shake our resolve to remove illegal guns and those who use them from our communities.”

Capers’ attorneys, Elizabeth Geddes and Nadia Shihata, said in a statement, “Shamel has pled not guilty to the current charges, is presumed innocent, and intends to vigorously defend himself in a court of law.”

Attorneys for Hunter and Miller did not return calls seeking comment.

More:Stocks

Recommend

Car bomb kills senior Russian general in Moscow: Officials

LONDON -- A car bomb in Moscow has killed a senior Russian military officer, Russian officials said.

Judge agrees to loosen Rep. George Santos' travel restrictions around Washington, D.C.

Washington — A federal judge agreed Wednesday to ease GOP Rep. George Santos' pretrial travel restri

By 2050, 200 Million Climate Refugees May Have Fled Their Homes. But International Laws Offer Them Little Protection

In recent years, tens of thousands of people have fled Central American countries like Guatemala and