Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Hassan Dees was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the shooting death of his friend, 31-year-old Peter Johnson, after the two men argued over an unpaid debt on the day after Christmas in 2021.
District Attorney Katz said: ““An argument over money turned deadly when the defendant chose to settle it with a gun, taking the life of a young man. We will not relent in our efforts to get these illegal weapons off our streets.”
Dees, 35, of 212th Street in Queens Village, pleaded guilty in November to manslaughter in the first degree before Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant who today sentenced the defendant to 24 years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
District Attorney Katz said that, according to the charges, on the evening of December 26, 2021, the victim, 31-year-old Peter Johnson of Jamaica, went to a deli at 207-22 Hollis Avenue where Dees worked to confront him over a debt. After a short argument, Johnson said he would resume the discussion at Dees’ house after his shift ended and he left the deli and walked to the defendant’s residence on 212th Street.
Once the victim departed, Dees retrieved a bag from the back of the store and left the deli and began walking toward his home. Minutes later, as Johnson approached the door of the defendant’s residence, Dees followed closely behind him and at approximately 10:45 p.m. the defendant shot the victim twice. Dees then ran back toward the deli where he worked.
The victim was discovered unresponsive in the defendant’s driveway more than two hours later with gunshot wounds to the head and arm. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
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