Following a tragic incident in Harlem, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. has announced the sentencing of Justin Deprospo, who will face 18 years to life for the murder of Burnie Pleasant. The event unfolded in November 2023, when Pleasant was fatally shot outside a smoke shop. According to a recent statement by the District Attorney, Deprospo confessed to second-degree murder on October 8, before being sentenced.
As reported by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, "Justin Deprospo callously and fatally shot Burnie Pleasant, a father of two with musical aspirations." These actions exemplify the ongoing struggle against gun violence in New York, with Bragg expressing, "My Office will continue to hold accountable anyone who uses guns to harm New Yorkers – nobody should have to experience the pain experienced by Mr. Pleasant’s loved ones."
The fatal shooting took place near West 116th Street and 8th Avenue in a smoke shop. Pleasant was shot eight times in the torso and pronounced dead later at the hospital. Deprospo had fled the scene following the crime, and he was apprehended almost two weeks later.
Handling the prosecution were Assistant D.A.s Shilpa Kalra and Brielle Oshinsky, operating under the supervision of Assistant D.A. Erin Tierney, the Chief of Trial Bureau 30, and Executive D.A. Lisa DelPizzo, the Chief of the Trial Division. Several NYPD officers, including Police Officer Christopher Brown of the 28th Precinct Detective Squad and Detective Carlos Pagan of Manhattan Homicide North, were commended by D.A. Bragg for their work that ultimately led to the sentencing, as per the statement from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
