Brooklyn Man Found Guilty Of 2nd-Degree Murder, Faces 25 To Life: DA

WYANDANCH, NY — A Brooklyn man has been found guilty of murdering a Bay Shore man in 2020, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced Tuesday.

A jury trial found Basheer Vinson, 29, of Brooklyn, guilty on Tuesday of second-degree murder, first-degree attempted assault and other related charges for an attempted robbery and shooting that Mark Birthwright, 26, of Bay Shore, and injured Robert Brown, 30, of Bellport in 2020, the DA said.

According to the investigation, on August 2, 2020, Vinson went to a house party on Patton Avenue in Wyandanch that Birthwright and Brown were also at, the DA said.

When Birthwright and Brown were leaving the party around 2 a.m., Birthwright dropped a roll of cash on the ground, picked it up and walked out of the party, the DA said.

Outside, Vinson and another unknown person held Birthwright at gunpoint and demanded the money, the DA said.

While Birthwright and Vinson struggled, Vinson's purple baseball hat fell onto the ground.

Eventually, Vinson shot Birthwright in the chest, the DA said. Brown turned around to help Birthwright, but Vinson fired a shot that hit him in his side, the DA said.

Suffolk County police were called and Vinson and the other person fled.

Birthwright was pronounced dead at the scene, the DA said. Meanwhile, Brown was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the DA said.

Vinson’s DNA was recovered from the purple baseball cap left at the scene and a partial DNA profile was recovered from one of the spent 9mm cartridge casings which matched his DNA profile, the DA said. He was arrested on October 4, 2022.

“This defendant fatally gunned down Mark Birthwright at a house party in Wyandanch and severely injured Robert Brown,” said 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.”

On Tuesday, Vinson was convicted before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei of second-degree murder, a Class A felony; first-degree attempted assault, a Class C violent felony; first-degree attempted robbery, a Class C violent felony; second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony; and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class C violent felony, the DA said.

Vinson is due back in court on October 24 and faces 25 years to life in prison on the top count, the DA said.

He is being represented by John Halverson who was not immediately available for comment.