A Bay Shore woman accused of chasing down her ex-boyfriend near the Long Island Rail Road station and stabbing him to death pleaded guilty on Monday to first-degree manslaughter, closing out a case that began with a second-degree murder charge. Nikeya Barker, 46, admitted in court to killing 47-year-old Shurvell Rush of Central Islip, who died from a single stab wound to the chest.
Barker had originally been indicted on a top charge of second-degree murder before reaching the plea deal, according to dailyvoice.com. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office had announced that indictment in May 2025, with Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney's office identifying Barker as 44 years old at the time, a discrepancy from the age given in this week's guilty plea reports.
A Confrontation That Turned Deadly Near the Tracks
Barker and Rush had previously dated but were no longer in a relationship when the attack occurred, according to Patch. Shortly after 6:30 p.m. on May 3, 2025, Barker confronted Rush at the Bay Shore train station, the outlet reported, and then followed him through the station parking lot toward an adjacent townhouse complex while carrying a large knife.
The attack ended in a parking lot on Railroad Plaza, where Barker stabbed Rush once in the chest, per the same account. Rush was rushed to South Shore University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from the wound. As detailed by Shore News Network, the fatal stabbing happened near the Bay Shore train station, with prosecutors saying the pair confronted each other there before the chase into the parking lot.
Surveillance Footage and DNA Evidence Tied Barker to the Knife
Investigators said surveillance video captured Barker discarding the murder weapon in nearby bushes after the stabbing. Police later recovered the knife, and forensic testing detected Barker's DNA on it, the station's report notes.
Barker did not stay out of reach for long. She surrendered to Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives on May 6, 2025, just three days after the stabbing, according to Patch's reporting. Detective Adam Quinones of the homicide squad conducted the investigation that led to her arrest, per the Shore News Network account of the case.
Guilty Plea Resolves Murder Charge, Sentencing Set for January
Barker entered her guilty plea before Judge Bryan Browns on Monday, admitting to first-degree manslaughter, a class B violent felony, rather than the second-degree murder charge she originally faced. Assistant District Attorney Michelle Chiuchiolo is prosecuting the case, while attorney Robert Macedonio represents Barker, according to the Shore News Network report.
Her sentencing hearing is set for January 11, 2027, dailyvoice.com reported. Accounts of her potential sentence vary: dailyvoice.com reported she's expected to get between 15 and 25 years in prison, while Greater Long Island reported she faces up to 25 years in prison when she returns to court. Neither the exact terms of the plea agreement nor what sentence Barker will ultimately receive have been made public ahead of the January hearing.
