FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
East New York Man Sentenced to 22 Years to Life in Prison for
Fatally Shooting Man and Wounding Another During Botched Robbery
Shot Victim Outside Livery Cab While Meeting to Buy Forged Credit Cards
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 21-year-old Brooklyn man was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for the 2014 shooting death of a 19-year-old victim, who was killed during a botched robbery. An accomplice was previously convicted and sentenced for his participation in the murder.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant shot and killed a young man in cold blood – a callous crime for which he and his codefendant will now spend many years in prison. We will never tolerate the use of gun violence in Brooklyn and will prosecute such cases to the fullest extent.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Shaquille Escalona, 21, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Ruth Shillingford to 22 years to life in prison following his conviction last month of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree attempted robbery after a jury trial. A codefendant, Ajuul Manwarring, 23, of East New York, was tried separately earlier this year. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced in May to 18 years to life in prison.
The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on December 29, 2014, the victim, 19-year-old Aaron Parkinson, was communicating with Manwarring regarding a transaction involving forged credit cards. At about 4:43 p.m., Manwarring texted a meeting location of “29 McClancy (Place)” in East New York.
The victim and a friend of his arrived at the location in a livery car about an hour later and met with the defendant and his accomplice, the evidence showed. The defendant opened the passenger door, pointed a gun at the two men and said, “Give it up.” He then went to the rear of the car, pulled the victim outside and – after Manwarring told him, “Let it blow” – fired six shots, striking Parkinson in the body and grazing the friend’s back shoulder, according to the evidence, which included forensics, surveillance videos and phone records. The livery driver sped to Brookdale Hospital, where Parkinson was pronounced dead.
The defendant and his accomplice were apprehended in March 2015 while walking together.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Chow Xie, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Robert Schwartz of the District Attorney’s Red Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Timothy Gough, Homicide Bureau Chief.
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