Harlem Murderer Sentenced For Killing Pregnant Ex-Girlfriend, DA Says

Editor's note: Victims of domestic violence and people who may be at risk can contact the national domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). For emergencies, call 911.

HARLEM, NY — A man was sentenced to 40 years to life in state prison on Thursday for murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend in front of her children in Harlem, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

According to Bragg, Shanice Young, 31, had just left her own baby shower on Sept. 12, 2021, at 1 a.m., and was unloading gifts from a car in front of her apartment near West 128th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard when Justin Soriano showed up and confronted her boyfriend, chasing him into the building.

Soriano was wearing all black, and wearing a face mask and latex gloves while carrying a loaded gun, Bragg said.

When the two men returned to the sidewalk about a minute later, Young intervened and asked Soriano, "What are you doing here?" Bragg said.

Soriano, brandishing a gun, then repeated the question and fired three shots, two of which struck Young in the face and entered her brain, according to Bragg.

She was rushed to Harlem Hospital but could not be saved. She was eight months pregnant, and the baby could not be saved either, Bragg said.

Four children, including two of Young's, were inside the car as the confrontation played out.

“Justin Soriano will serve state prison time for viciously murdering Shanice Young on what should have been a joyous and memorable occasion and celebration,” Bragg said.

“Soriano committed this horrific shooting in front of four children, including Ms. Young’s own daughters, who helplessly watched their mother die right before their eyes. The trauma Ms. Young’s family and loved ones have experienced continues to be felt today and my thoughts remain with them as they continue to heal. I hope the significant sentence imposed today serves as a measure of justice for this tragic and abhorrent act of violence.”

On November 21, 2024, a New York Supreme Court jury found Soriano guilty on all counts, including murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, among other charges.

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