A Manhattan judge on Tuesday sentenced 52-year-old Marquis Chappelle to 25 years to life in prison for the March 7, 2023 killing of his roommate, 39-year-old Ousmane Ag, after prosecutors said an argument over a stolen soda spiraled into deadly violence. Chappelle was convicted earlier this year of murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
Jurors returned guilty verdicts on both counts, and the court imposed an indeterminate term of 25 years to life at sentencing. The convictions and sentence were detailed by amNewYork.
What happened
Police say the shooting took place on March 7, 2023, inside an apartment in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem. Officers responding to the scene found the 39-year-old victim with gunshot wounds and rushed him to Harlem Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The initial incident location was reported as 453 W. 152nd St., near St. Nicholas Avenue, according to Patch.
Investigation and arrest
NYPD investigators identified Chappelle as a suspect and launched a six-month manhunt before officers took him into custody in September 2023. Reporting from the New York Daily News noted that Ag had been shot multiple times and that the medical examiner found bullets had pierced his lung and aorta, according to New York Daily News.
Prosecutor's statement
"Ousmane Ag's life tragically ended in the foyer of the home he shared with the very man who murdered him," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement about the case. Bragg's comments, along with details of the sentence, were reported by amNewYork.
Legal notes
Murder in the second degree in New York is a Class A-I felony that can carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, with judges setting an indeterminate minimum term that a defendant must serve before becoming eligible for parole. For background on statutory ranges and penalties for second-degree murder in New York, see FindLaw.
The sentence closes out a lengthy legal process in a case that prosecutors say began as a household dispute and escalated into a fatal shooting. Chappelle will serve his sentence in state custody and will be subject to New York's parole procedures.
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