Johnny Blackshell Junior has been found guilty of 1st degree murder … plus three counts of assault and two of weapons possession in last summer’s Boys and Girls Club murders.
Blackshell was convicted this afternoon and faces up to life in prison when he’s sentenced on July 8th. He was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. There was no display of emotion in the courtroom.
The 21-year-old Rochester man is now convicted of firing an AK47 out of a speeding car at a crowd of people leaving a basketball tournament on Genesee Street. Three young men were killed and four were injured.
Two other suspects have yet to be tried.
Tammy Burnett … the mother of shooting victim Rayquan Manigualt….says it’s over for Blackshell…but it’s just the beginning of a long road for her.
One of the jurors (Juror #7) who asked not to be identified says she personally was convinced of Blackshell’s guilt because in several hours of wiretapped phone calls and tapes of jailhouse conversations, she never heard Blackshell say “I didn’t do it.”
She says they also gave very careful attention to the testimony of Blackshell’s girlfriend, because hers was the only testimony putting Blackshell in the car used in the drive-by shootings and the rifle in his hands.
The juror says the testimony was very graphic and hard to describe.
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Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and Police Chief Michael Ciminelli say they’re both pleased with the “guilty” verdict in the Johnny Blackshell trial…and they hope it can restore some peace to the families who lost loved ones.
The mayor says this sort of violent act can’t be tolerated…especially outside the Boys and Girls Club that promotes a sense of community.
The Chief says this shows the results of people pulling together with his investigators to solve the crime. Chief Ciminelli says he’ll have more to say about the investigation of this case after Blackshell is sentenced.
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The man who …as a teenager….shot a Rochester Police Officer in the head will be released on parole next month.
Tyquan Rivera was just 14 when he shot Officer Anthony Diponzio in the back of the head as he talked with a group of people on the street about a drug investigation. The officer spent two years in rehab before he was able to return to work.
Rivera was convicted of second degree attempted murder, but got youthful offender status and a prison term of up to ten years. He was denied parole earlier this year, but a second review approved him for conditional release on July 9th.
He’ll be located in the Buffalo area on release.
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The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct says Rochester City Court Judge Maija Dixon should be censured for an ethical violation.
Judge Dixon allegedly tried to contact and influence another judge who was hearing her lawsuit against her insurance company. This happened in 2013 when the judge was trying to adjudicate the settlement she received after a car crash. The complaint said she allegedly contacted State Supreme Court Justice Scott Odorisi by phone and tried to discuss the case with him over his objections.
Judge Dixon apologized at a hearing and said she made a bad decision.
The commission voted for censure…the second highest penalty after removal from the bench.
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City Newspaper says it’s learned from several sources that Ithaca School Superintendent Luvelle Brown is the City School Board’s pick for the next Rochester School Superintendent.
The board won’t comment. They’re still working on a contract with their final pick as Board President Van White confirmed earlier this week…and they may not come to an agreement. The board held a closed door executive session this evening, possibly on the contract negotiations.
The Ithaca Journal recently credited Brown with improving that district’s graduation rate, boosting reading skills and narrowing the achievement gap for minority and special ed students.