Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Guilty Verdict For Cop Killer; Death Penalty Looms
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 21, 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 Dec 21, 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
A federal jury found Ronnell Wilson guilty of shooting two undercover detective in Staten Island three years ago. Detectives James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews were trying to buy illegal guns in a sting operation. Here is a description of the crime from the Post:
Wilson and another man, Jessie Jacobus, had decided that they would rob Nemorin - although they realized he might be a cop - instead of selling him a gun. The two thugs climbed into the back seat of Nemorin's car. A few moments later, Wilson shot both officers, then patted down their bodies for cash.
Wilson later boasted to his pals about the slayings.
When he was arrested a few days later, cops found handwritten rap lyrics in his pocket in which he bragged about the shooting.
The misspelled, barely intelligible lyrics read: "You better have that vast and dat Golock. Leave a 45 slogs in da back of ya head. Cause I'm getting dat bread, ain't goin stop to I'm dead."
Wilson, a gang member in the Stapleton Crew who went by the name "Rated R," was found guilty on ten counts, including racketeering murder, carjacking, and criminal use of a firearm. Family members and police officers were relieved with the verdict. The NY Times pointed out that the trial looked at the lives of undercover police officers, and how the Queens shoting of Sean Bell by an undercover NYPD unit, "made for eneasy parallels as such undercover terms of as set (the area of operation) and ghost (for backup officer) were analyzed simultaneously in the Brooklyn courtroom and in protests and news conferences concerning the Queens case.
The next step for the jury will be to decide whether or not Wilson should be sentenced to death. The last time the death penalty was imposed by a NY federal court was in the 1950s.
And Mayor Bloomberg praised the verdict and said:
Detectives Rodney Andrews and James Nemorin were selfless heroes who put their lives on the line to get illegal guns off the streets of our City. For their families, today's guilty verdict, and the knowledge that a cop killer will not be allowed to roam free, provides some small measure of comfort. We will never forget the sacrifice of Detectives Andrews and Nemorin. We will be forever grateful for their service, courage and dedication to our City. And we will continue to honor their memory by doing everything possible to take illegal guns off the street and protect the safety of all New Yorkers.
Photograph of Ronell Wilson earlier this year by Ed Betz/AP
Tagged
And Mayor Bloomberg
bloomberg
brooklyn
Cause I
city
court
crime
death
death penalty
Ed Betz
gun
guns
mayor
mayor bloomberg
murder
never forget
new yorkers
ny times
nypd
police
queens
ronell wilson
safety
sean bell
shooting
staten island
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
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
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 .