A Brooklyn man was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years to life for a violent attempted robbery that killed a Long Island man and wounded another, prosecutors said.
Basheer Vinson, 30, is accused of firing gunshots at two men outside a house party on Long Island nearly five years ago.
Around 2 a.m. on Aug. 2, 2020, 26-year-old Mark Birthwright and 30-year-old Robert Brown were walking out of the party on Patton Ave. in Wyandanch when Birthwright dropped a “large roll of cash” on the ground, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
After picking up the cash, Birthwright and his friend continued walking, but Vinson, who was also at the party, likely saw what happened and exited the house.
Once outside, “Vinson and a second unknown individual approached Birthwright with guns drawn and demanded the cash,” investigators said. Birthwright refused to hand over the money, which resulted in a brief physical struggle.
That’s when Vinson shot Birthright in the chest, authorities said.
Brown, who had been walking ahead, ran back to help his friend, but Vinson fired a shot at him as well, striking him in the side.
When first responders arrived, Vinson and the other suspect had already fled the area. Birthwright was pronounced dead at the scene while Brown was transferred to a nearby hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Vinson was indicted on multiple charges — including murder, assault and attempted robbery — after his arrest in October 2022. He was convicted by a jury two years later.
On Wednesday, Judge Timothy P. Mazzei sentenced Vinson to 25 years to life for second-degree murder and 15 years for first-degree attempted assault, to run consecutively for a total sentence of 40 years to life.
His other sentences for attempted robbery, second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon are to run concurrently, meaning they’ll be served at the same time as the main sentence, not adding any extra time.
