Syracuse, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man was found guilty Wednesday of the murder of a 31-year-old man at a wild block party on Syracuse’s South Side in 2021.
Kenneth Kinsey, 35, was convicted of firing the fatal shot that killed Bobby Fort Jr during the party in the 200 block of West Lafayette Avenue.
On the night of June 4 into the early morning of June 5, 2021, hundreds of people gathered for a Friday night block party that quickly broke up after shots rang out.
Related: A crazy party, a stabbing and a fatal shooting: Trial reveals new details of Syracuse murder
The jury started deliberations Tuesday afternoon and came to a verdict around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. In a murder case, New York juries must come to a unanimous decision.
After the verdict was read, someone supporting Kinsey gasped as a member of Fort’s family shouted in excitement. Another of Fort’s loved ones began to cry.
As the jury deliberated they requested multiple readbacks of testimony and requested to see the autopsy photos. The last testimony they asked to hear was from a witness for the defense, Maurice Quellin. He was the only eyewitness who testified that Kinsey could not have been the shooter.
The key evidence for the prosecution also came from the testimony of eyewitnesses who testified that Kinsey shot Fort. The jury was tasked with assessing the credibility of those witnesses and determining if their testimony was enough to prove the prosecution’s theory beyond a reasonable doubt.
In the end, the jury credited the prosecution witnesses -- including the key witness Fort’s girlfriend at the time Anjalese Brown -- over Quellin.
The jury convicted Kinsey of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Kinsey now faces 25 years to life in prison for Fort’s murder. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 13.
Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com.