19 Yrs. To Life For Killing At 2021 LI Party: Nassau DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Hempstead man was sentenced on Monday to 19 years to life in prison for killing a man in a backyard three years ago, prosecutors announced.

Ryan Hamilton, 24, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last month. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

"When an argument broke out in the backyard of a Hempstead home Ryan Hamilton chose to end it with violence, shooting 25-year-old Trendabi Reid in the face and killing him," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.

According to the charges, on the afternoon of May 7, 2021, Hamilton was socializing with several other people in the backyard of a Burrell Avenue residence in Hempstead.

Hamilton was cleaning a firearm, Donnelly said.

When 25-year-old victim Trendabi Reid arrived at the home, he and another person began arguing about a debt. The fight escalated and the pair began pushing and shoving.

Hamilton, who had not been involved in the altercation, approached the victim, and fired a single round from a .9 mm firearm, striking Reid in the face and causing his death.

Hamilton then fled the yard, the D.A. said.

The firearm was recovered later that evening in a vacant lot approximately two blocks away.

Hamilton was arrested on June 23, 2021, in Waterbury, Connecticut.

"Our thoughts are with Trendabi’s family today as this defendant is sentenced for his senseless and vicious actions," Donnelly said.