Defendant: Trevon Major (DOB 06/17/2001)
May 30, 2018 -- Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced Trevon Major, 16, was sentenced in Westchester County Court to 15 years in prison for Manslaughter in the First Degree, a class B violent felony, and 15 years in prison for Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C violent felony. Both sentences will run concurrently (at the same time) for the death of Joseph Smith III in the hallway of a Greenburgh apartment building Aug. 17, 2017.
In addressing Major, Judge Schwartz told the teenager, “With that shot, you took Mr. Smith’s life and shattered the lives of so many others…You caused unbearable pain.”
In court today, the victim’s daughter read a statement on the impact to her family. She remembered her father as “a peacemaker” and a man “with a heart as big as the world.” She added, “We will never get back the time we lost with him and I ask the court to think about the pain and suffering of our family.”
Smith’s fiancé also read an impact statement saying, “Trevon, you took the love of my life away from me.” She added, “Joseph and I were raising three foster kids together. Joseph was the only father they knew.”
The facts leading up to this homicide are as follows: On Aug. 17, 2017, at about 7:30 p.m. in the parking lot of 100 Manhattan Ave., an apartment building where the defendant lived, the defendant’s brother, co-defendant Vance Major and co-defendant Timothy Whitney robbed an individual. Soon thereafter, in the vestibule area of that building, the robbery victim argued with Vance Major and Timothy Whitney about getting his property back. Trevon Major came downstairs from his apartment, joined the altercation and threatened the robbery victim with a gun. The robbery victim’s mother came from her nearby apartment and pleaded with Trevon Major not to shoot her son. The robbery victim was able to leave the area and returned to his home in a neighboring building. Moments later, Joseph Smith III, 46, the fiancé of the robbery victim’s mother, went to apartment 6K in 100 Manhattan Ave. (the home of Trevon Major and Vance Major). Smith knocked on the door. Trevon Major, Vance Major and Timothy Whitney were all inside of the apartment. Trevon Major answered the door with a gun in his hand and shot Smith one time in the chest as Smith stood in the hallway. A neighbor heard the gunshot and called the police. The Greenburgh police immediately responded and saw a blood trail from the hallway outside of Trevon and Vance Major’s doorway to a nearby stairwell where they found Smith lying on the floor. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Trevon Major, Vance Major and Timothy Whitney remained inside the apartment until the police entered with a search warrant. The Greenburgh police found the firearm used to kill Smith broken into three pieces hidden about the apartment.
The cases against Vance Major and Timothy Whitney are still pending.
ADA Lana B. Hochheiser, Deputy Chief, Homicide Bureau and ADA Jonathan Strongin of the Superior Court Trial Division prosecuted the case.
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In compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.6, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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