Trial begins for 4 men accused in shooting of Cuomo aide Carey Gabay
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Opening statements began Monday in the trial of four men accused of opening fire during a J'ouvert celebration, killing an aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Two juries will simultaneously hear evidence against Micah Alleyne, Kenny Bazile, Stanley Elianor and Keith Luncheon.
Prosecutors say they shot at a rival gang during the pre-dawn celebration in Brooklyn back in 2015.
Carey Gabay, an administrative aide for Governor Cuomo, was hit with a stray bullet and died nine days later.
A fifth defendant, Tyshawn Crawford, agreed to a plea deal and is expected to testify against the other four.
One jury will decide the fate of Luncheon, Alleyne and Elianor, but Bazile successfully argued to have his trial severed. The other jury will decide his case.
"These four gangsters took that morning as an opportunity to wage an all out war," said Kings County Assistant District Attorney Olatokunbo Olaniyan.
In court Monday, prosecutors said there were seven different semi-automatic weapons used in the rival gang shootout in September 2015 during the pre-dawn hours of J'ouvert when Gabay was killed.
But prosecutors haven't pinpointed exactly which gunman struck the 43-year-old. And that's one thing defense attorneys are banking on.
"I'm going to ask you to disregard the picture that the District Attorney is painting here," said Alleyne's defense attorney Louis Rosenthal.
They are also going after the prosecution's star witness who was once also charged with murder, but Crawford struck a deal in exchange for his testimony.
Gabay's widow, now pregnant with their child, was in court with his entire family Monday. His brother Aaron McNaughton was with Gabay that night and was the first to take the stand, testifying, "I didn't know it was him at the time. I embraced him and cradled the left side of his head."
The trial is expected to last at least two months.
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