Basheer Vinson, 29, of Brooklyn, has been found guilty of second-degree murder and other charges in connection with a 2020 attempted robbery and shooting that resulted in the death of Mark Birthwright, 26, of Bay Shore. The verdict was announced by Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney following a jury trial.
"This defendant fatally gunned down Mark Birthwright at a house party in Wyandanch and severely injured Robert Brown," said District Attorney Tierney. "Every resident in Suffolk County deserves a safe environment free from the fear that gunfire will erupt at random. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep dangerous criminals like Basheer Vinson out of our communities."
The incident occurred on August 2, 2020, at a house party on Patton Avenue in Wyandanch. Around 2:05 a.m., Birthwright and Robert Brown were leaving the party when Birthwright dropped a large roll of cash. As they exited, Vinson and an unknown accomplice approached them with guns drawn demanding the money.
A struggle ensued between Birthwright and Vinson during which Vinson's purple baseball hat fell off. Vinson then shot Birthwright in the chest. Brown attempted to help but was also shot by Vinson.
Police were called to the scene as Vinson and his accomplice fled. Birthwright was pronounced dead at the scene while Brown received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries at Good Samaritan Hospital.
Vinson's DNA was later identified on the baseball cap left at the scene and matched a partial DNA profile recovered from one of the spent cartridge casings. He was arrested on October 4, 2022.
On September 24, 2024, after a trial presided over by Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei, Vinson was convicted of multiple charges including:
- Murder in the Second Degree
- Attempted Assault in the First Degree
- Attempted Robbery in the First Degree
- Assault in the Second Degree
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree
Vinson is scheduled to return to court on October 24, 2024, facing up to 25 years to life imprisonment on the top count. He is represented by John Halverson.
Assistant District Attorneys Timothy Gough and Dena Rizopoulos prosecuted this case with assistance from Jeff Bottari and Detective Scott Aquilino of Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad.
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