A Bellport man was found guilty of murder in which he shot another person 10 times in an unprovoked attack.
Shati Smith, 31, of Bellport, was found guilty after a jury trial of Murder in the Second Degree, for fatally shooting 28-year-old Lee Houpe in June 2022.
On June 15, 2022, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Lee Houpe was standing in a friend’s driveway when Shati Smith got out of his car and opened fire on Houpe, shooting him three times. When the victim collapsed to the ground, Smith proceeded to stand over him and shoot him an additional seven times, striking him in the face, arm, and chest, ultimately killing him. Smith got into his car and fled the scene.
Smith fled to Virginia, where he was found by members of the Suffolk County Police Department and subsequently arrested.
On May 5, 2025, Smith, 31, was convicted of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony, and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, both Class C felonies, after a jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei.
Smith is due back in court for sentencing on June 5, 2025, and faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
“This defendant meant to kill Lee Houpe when he shot him three times and then stood over him, shooting him seven more times after he collapsed on the ground,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “We are tired of burying our youth and watching families get torn apart due to senseless gun violence. Justice was served today, but the true tragedy is that it ever had to come to this.”