Prison For LI Man Who Fatally Shot Someone Sleeping In Car: Nassau DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Hempstead man has been sentenced to 24 years to life in prison after he was found guilty of murder charges in the shooting death of a man in his car in 2019, prosecutors said.

Kadeem Lewis, 31, was convicted in October, of second-degree murder, first-degree and second-degree robbery, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.

The defendant was sentenced yesterday to 24 years to life in prison.

"The final moments of Jose Sanchez-Velasquez’s life were filled with shock and terror when Kadeem Lewis and a co-defendant roused him from sleep inside his car and robbed him. When Jose tried to scream for help, he was tragically killed by a single gunshot to the chest,” said DA Donnelly. "Today’s life sentence holds Kadeem Lewis accountable for his callousness and for taking an innocent man’s life."

In the overnight hours of November 25, 2019, Lewis and a co-defendant were walking around Hempstead looking for a house to burglarize, Donnelly said. They encountered 33-year-old Jose Sanchez-Velasquez sleeping in the front seat of his vehicle with the engine running and the lights on.

Lewis approached the driver’s side of the vehicle while his co-defendant opened the front passenger-side door and removed several cell phones. Lewis’ co-defendant then removed Sanchez-Velasquez from his vehicle. The victim screamed, and Lewis fired a single fatal gunshot into Sanchez-Velasquez’s chest, the D.A.'s office said.

Lewis dropped two of the cell phones taken from the victim in a neighboring backyard.

Approximately one month later, Lewis was involved in an incident at a residence on Alan Street in Hempstead wearing a ski mask. During the incident, Lewis fled the scene, dropping his cell phone inside the residence.

DNA samples taken from the ski mask and the cell phones recovered near the scene of the murder were both a match to Lewis, Donnelly said.

He was arrested on February 6, 2020.

"Our thoughts remain with Jose’s loved ones at this time, and we hope that this most severe punishment provides them with the justice they deserve for this unspeakable crime," Donnelly said.