Suffolk D.A.: Riverhead man sentenced to 25 years to life for gun possession

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Feb. 27  that Messiah Booker, also known as Matthew Booker, 38, of Riverhead, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of his involvement in a May 2022 shooting that occurred while he was on parole release from prison for a separate felony.

“With this sentence, we want the public to know that we are holding perpetrators of violence accountable,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This happened in broad daylight in the parking lot of an apartment complex full of people. Violence will not be tolerated in Suffolk County.”

The evidence at trial established that on May 20, 2022, Booker got into a verbal dispute with a teenager in the parking lot area of an apartment complex in downtown Riverhead. As the argument escalated, Booker threatened to shoot the juvenile, and then briefly entered his black Jeep Compass before returning with a loaded gun in a fanny pack. Booker then began to pull the gun from the fanny pack, causing him to flee for his life.

The victim’s family arrived at the apartment complex shortly thereafter, at approximately 3:50 p.m.,
and Booker began to argue with them. During the argument, a large crowd gathered in front of the building. Booker went back to his Jeep, retrieved the same loaded firearm from earlier, and shot at one of the people in the crowd. The bullet ricocheted off the ground and struck another victim in the forearm. Booker then fled the scene on foot.

Riverhead Town Police Department officers responded to the scene and located a 9 mm shell casing
from the shooting. Booker’s Jeep Compass, which was still at the scene, was impounded and a search
of its contents was conducted pursuant to a search warrant. During the search, law enforcement
recovered drugs including cocaine and morphine, over $1,000 in small denomination bills, four
cellular phones, walkie-talkies, a tactical vest, 9 mm ammunition, a digital scale typically used to
weigh narcotics, and drug packaging material including glassine envelopes.

Law enforcement tracked Booker’s movements with assistance from the United States Marshals
Service, and he was apprehended days later and placed under arrest.

On February 27, Booker was convicted after a jury trial heard before Acting Supreme Court
Justice, the Honorable Anthony S. Senft, Jr. of the following charges:
 Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Class C violent
felonies;
 Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree: with the
Intent to Sell, Class D felonies;
 Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, Class
A misdemeanors;
 One count of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, a Class A
misdemeanor; and
 One count of Menacing in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor.

Prior to this incident, Booker had five felony convictions, two of which were violent felonies. In
particular, Booker was convicted in 2017 of Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree, a Class D
violent felony, for his role in a home-invasion burglary. Booker was released to parole supervision
in 2019 and was still on parole for that conviction at the time of this incident.

On February 27, 2024, Justice Senft sentenced Booker to 25 years to life in prison. He was represented by Ian Fitzgerald, Esq.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys William Richards and Raymond Coscia of the Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Richard Freeborn of the Riverhead Town Police Department.