Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney's Office

01/10/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/10/2025 13:59

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 18 Years to Life in Prison for Shooting and Killing Man at the Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, January 10, 2025

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 18 Years to Life in Prison for Shooting and Killing Man at the Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights

Victim Was a Father Who Died Defending His Daughter

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 18 years to life in prison following his conviction on two counts of murder for fatally shooting a man at the Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights. The victim, a 43-year-old father, died defending his teenage daughter from the defendant and an alleged co-defendant during an armed burglary attempt.

District Attorney Gonzalez said,"The viciousness of the defendant's actions cannot be overstated, and the lengthy prison term to which he has been sentenced holds him accountable for killing an innocent man in cold blood. While nothing can fill the void left by this tragedy, I hope this outcome brings a measure of justice and peace to Mr. Scarlett's family and loved ones. As Brooklyn ended last year as the safest on record for gun violence, my office remains committed to protecting our communities and bringing perpetrators to justice."

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Waki Bullock, 33, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 18 years to life in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Hecht. The defendant was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder on December 9, 2024, following a jury trial.

A co-defendant, Rashawn Brown, 28, of Crown Heights, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted burglary, and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. His case is pending, and his next court appearance is February 6, 2025.

The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on January 13, 2019, at approximately 1:30 p.m., inside 219 Kingsborough 2 Walk, a building within NYCHA's Kingsborough Houses, in Crown Heights, the defendant and his alleged co-defendant shot and killed 43-year-old Phillip Scarlett. Scarlett was expecting a visit from his 14-year-old daughter, who was coming to the sixth-floor apartment to get laundry money. As the girl approached the entrance, the defendant and his alleged co-defendant, who were standing in the hallway wearing masks and armed, grabbed her before she could enter. The girl yelled out for her father who in response ran to the door and was able to pull the girl away from the masked men. The victim used his body to shield his daughter from the defendant and alleged co-defendant by pushing her back into the apartment. The defendant and alleged co-defendant then grabbed the victim, dragged him down the staircase where, according to the evidence, they shot him in the hip and thigh.

The victim was taken to Interfaith Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

The defendant fled to Georgia and was later apprehended and returned to Brooklyn on July 10, 2021.

The District Attorney thanked KCDA Digital Evidence Lab Intelligence Analyst Zoƫ Feygin and Unit Chief Jingu Chong for their work on this case.

The District Attorney also thanked Homicide Paralegal Angelika Rostkowska and Blue Zone Paralegal Sharlesia Agaga.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Joseph Mancino, of the District Attorney's Homicide Bureau, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Jessica Wishart, of the District Attorney's Blue Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, Chief of the Homicide Bureau.

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