Appellate court upholds conviction of “Phat Boy”

KINGSTON – The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the August 2012 conviction of Jarrin Rankin, also known as “Phat Boy,” who was convicted by an Ulster County Court jury on three counts of criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years of parole.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred on Henry Street in the City of Kingston on November 21, 2009. That morning, Rankin and Curtis Williams, also known as “Black,” were involved in a shootout during which Williams was shot in the face.
Charles King, Jr., and his half-brother, Lee Gray, spoke with Williams and Rankin before the shootout and witnessed it.
C.J. King, 21, gave a statement to the police two days later identifying Rankin as the shooter. King later testified before an Ulster County grand jury in January 2010 and three weeks later was shot and killed by Rankin’s brother, Trevor Mattis. Mattis and three other members of the “Sex, Money, Murder” gang have been convicted of murder and/or conspiracy to commit murder.
In his appeal, Rankin argued the county court erred in allowing the D.A. to introduce C.J. King’s grand jury testimony on its direct case and improperly denied his motion to suppress his oral statements to the police.
The Appellate Division rejected both claims.