A Hempstead man was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of a 25-year-old man in a Hempstead backyard in May 2021.
Ryan Hamilton, 24, pleaded guilty on February 15, 2024, before Judge Teresa Corrigan to second-degree murder (an A-I felony) and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a C violent felony).
On May 7, 2021, at approximately 5:30 p.m. in the rear yard of 21 James LL Burrell Avenue in Hempstead, Hamilton was socializing with several other individuals and cleaning his gun.
When 25-year-old victim Trendabi Reid arrived at the home, he and another person began arguing about a debt. The fight escalated and the pair began pushing and shoving one another.
Hamilton, who had not been involved in the altercation, approached the victim, and fired a single round from a .9mm firearm, striking Reid in the face and causing his death. Hamilton then fled the yard.
The gun was recovered later that evening in a vacant lot approximately two blocks away from where the incident took place.
Detectives with the Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide Squad arrested Hamilton on June 23, 2021, in Waterbury, Connecticut. On March 18, 2024, he was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison. The Nassau DA’s office recommended a sentence of 22 years to life in prison.
“When an argument broke out in the backyard of a Hempstead home, Ryan Hamilton chose to end it with violence,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “Our thoughts are with Trendabi’s family today as this defendant is sentenced for his senseless and vicious actions.”