Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Guilty Verdict in Lower East Side Murder
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 13, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 13, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday, a jury found 21 year old Rudy Fleming guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Nicole duFresne. Fleming was also found guilty of various robbery and weapons charges stemming the January 2005 incident on Clinton Street. He and his friends had been robbing and scaring people, and when they came across duFresne, her fiance, and their friends; Fleming pistolwhipped fiance Jeffrey Sparks and duFresne reportedly confronted Fleming, saying, "What are you going to do, shoot us?" Fleming did shoot duFresne, but his defense attempted to argue that the gun went off by accident (witnesses disagreed). Fleming, who did not attend the trial, had been on parole for gun possession during the shooting. He now faces a maximum of life in prison without parole; his sentencing will be on November 30. The cases of his accomplices are sitll pending.
duFresne's family issued a statement after the verdict. Here's an excerpt:
There are some in the media who criticized her actions that night. In defense of her wounded and bleeding fiancé and friends, Nicole chose to step forward, asking for their release from further harm. She confronted the man with the gun, pleading for the confrontation to end. The response to her request was a bullet to her heart. If a man had acted in the same manner, he may have been proclaimed a hero. Nicole died that night defending those she loved. She is our hero.
The NY Times also noted: "The family conceded that they wished she had acted differently, because she might still be alive. 'But,' they said, 'she was true to who she was — a brave woman in every aspect of life, sometimes afraid but always brave.'” And Sparks speaks with the Daily News (who calls him "Scott" for some reason) and says, "She didn't mean, 'I dare you to shoot me.' She meant, 'It would be smart if you stopped pointing the gun at me so I can turn around and walk away and you can walk away.'"
Tagged
clinton
clinton street
crime
daily news
death
friends
gun
headlines
Jeffrey Sparks
media
murder
news
ny times
people
robbery
Rudy Fleming
shooting
sparks
The NY
the ny times
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .