It took investigators more than three years to crack this cold case, but a Long Island man was indicted by a Queens grand jury in a fatal 2018 drive-by shooting in St. Albans, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Michael Brown, 37, of Catalpa Avenue in Franklin Square, was held on a 3-count indictment warrant before Justice Gene Lopez Friday charging him with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the shooting death of 34-year-old Rhodd Khipplyn of Springfield Boulevard in Queens Village.
According to the charges, on the night of Sept. 25, 2018, Khipplyn was standing near his work van in the vicinity of 118th Street and Farmers Boulevard when he was struck in the torso by a gunshot fired from a silver four-door sedan traveling southbound on Farmers Boulevard. The victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital Center.
“Securing this indictment demonstrates exactly why I formed the QDA Cold Case Unit. We will work tirelessly to bring closure to grieving families and assure them they are not forgotten,” Katz said. “Justice will be pursued and sought in a court of law regardless of how much time passes. The defendant tried to elude identification and responsibility for his alleged crimes but he will now stand in court to answer for this shooting.”
Brown was ordered to return to court on Oct. 13, before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder. If convicted, Brown faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
This story first appeared on QNS.com.
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