Bennett
KINGSTON – Poughkeepsie resident Basheem Bennett, 22, was sentenced Friday in Ulster County Court to 25 years to life in state prison for the 2014 Easter Sunday murder of Ryan Gray.
Bennett previously pled guilty to murder on November 10, 2014. His sentencing was delayed due to a promise he made to testify against his accomplice, Taquan Webb, a promise to which he reneged.
His cooperation would have gotten him a reduced sentence of 15 years to life in prison, although County Court Judge Donald Williams had only promised Bennett a sentenced of 18 years to life, and only if he cooperated against Webb.
At Bennett’s sentencing, Senior Assistant District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji recommended the maximum sentence citing that Bennett entered a crowded college bar and fired a number of shots, killing Gray and also striking a young woman.
District Attorney Holly Carnright said it is seldom that his office cuts deals to reduce a sentence in exchange for a defendant’s cooperation.
“Bennett was given a rare opportunity to acknowledge his crime and to show some semblance of humanity by helping to bring to justice another person responsible for this killing,” Carnright said. “Under all of the circumstances, the cowardly manner in which this heinous crime was committed, and then his reneging on his agreement, in our judgment warranted our recommendation of the maximum sentence.”
