State of New York v. Matthew Passaro

Brooklyn, New York, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with murder.

On September 20, 2017, the Matthew Passaro, age 53, was walking on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. He came upon the victim, 47-year-old Stephen Vargas, whom he didn’t know, standing on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Fourth Avenue, and started yelling at him.

After exchanging words with the victim, the defendant walked about a block and a half, changed his clothes, then returned to where the victim was standing, in the vicinity of Fourth Avenue and Atlantic Avenue and, at about 8:15 p.m., shot him multiple times outside 578 Atlantic Avenue, killing him, according to trial testimony. The evidence showed that the defendant fired seven times, striking the victim six times about his body, including his spine, liver, kidneys, lungs, and heart, instantly killing him.

The defendant fled and was arrested on November 1, 2017 inside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. A loaded .45-caliber pistol was recovered from the defendant. A microscopic analysis of the recovered gun and ballistic evidence from the scene of the shooting determined that this was the same gun used to kill Vargas.

Following his arrest, according to trial testimony, the defendant admitted to police that he killed the victim.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Jhounelle Cunningham, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Kaitlin Kinsella, of the District Attorney’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, Homicde Bureau Chief.

The Defendant was found guilty and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.