Three men convicted in the brutal group killing of 33-year-old Jervey Barfield were each sentenced to 22 years-to-life in state prison, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Tuesday. Naquan Anderson, 38, Trevor Carpenter, 44, and Alvin Nelson, 45, chased Barfield down a Harlem block in May 2025 before stabbing and beating him to death near West 141st Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.
According to Alvin Bragg
The case arose from the fatal attack on Barfield.
Court testimony detailed just how methodical the pursuit was. Video surveillance played a central role in the prosecution, showing a 12-minute tracking sequence along Eighth Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard before Barfield was subjected to the 12-stab attack that severed his spine, according to Inner City Press. Trial proceedings were held in New York State Supreme Court before Justice Cori H. Weston. NYPD Detective Quincy Smith testified that investigators pulled key footage from a deli at 2657 Eighth Avenue along with nearby street and elevator cameras; footage timestamped 5:06 a.m. showed Barfield outside the deli, the outlet reported.
A Chase, a Getaway, and a 911 Call
After the stabbing, Nelson and Anderson washed blood from their hands and arms using a bottle of water, and all three men fled toward the 145th Street Bridge in Carpenter's car, per Bragg's office. The killing occurred on May 3, 2025, according to the Shore News Network. EMS personnel rushed Barfield to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, where he was pronounced dead, as reported by Patch. Barfield died from stab wounds to his neck and torso and blunt force injuries to his head.
Nelson was arrested on May 16, 2025, followed by Carpenter on May 22 and Anderson on June 9.
Convictions and Sentences Handed Down in August
All three men stood trial in New York State Supreme Court, with jurors returning convictions on August 11, 2026. Anderson and Nelson were each convicted of murder in the second degree and gang assault in the first degree, while Carpenter was convicted of manslaughter in the first degree and gang assault in the first degree. Anderson and Nelson were convicted of murder in the second degree, while manslaughter in the first degree is classified as a Class B violent felony, according to the New York State Senate.
Gang assault in the first degree, the charge all three men shared, is also a Class B violent felony under Penal Law § 120.07, requiring prosecutors to prove a defendant intended to cause serious physical injury while aided by two or more people present. Notably, New York law does not require proof of formal street gang membership to secure a gang assault conviction, per Tilem & Associates. Each defendant ultimately received the same sentence: 22 years-to-life in state prison.
Anderson lived in the Bronx, Carpenter resided in Roanoke, Virginia, and Nelson lived in New York City.
A Second Tragedy for Barfield's Family
Barfield had only recently gotten his footing back before his death. He had been out of prison since 2023 after serving 10 months on an attempted assault conviction, and had been on parole for roughly two years while working to stay out of trouble, according to the NY Daily News. He had recently secured his own apartment, and his sister said he spent much of his time working out after his release, hoping to eventually become a physical trainer, though he was frustrated by the difficulty of finding steady work.
His death marked the second homicide to strike his family. Nearly two decades earlier, his older brother, Shannon Bates, was fatally shot in the Bronx, around 2005, the newspaper's report noted.
