DEP Worker's Killer Convicted In Queens

By GINGER ADAMS OTIS

A 25-year-old Queens resident has been convicted in the August 2002 shooting death of a Department of Environmental Protection worker, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced last week.

Taiquan Williams, 25, was found guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree attempted robbery, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with evidence after three hours of deliberation by a jury of five men and seven women.

Faces 25 Years

Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Cooperman, who presided at the two-week trial, set sentencing for April 10. Mr. Williams faces up to 25 years in prison.

According to trial testimony, the defendant on Aug. 9, 2002, armed with a 9mm handgun, approached DEP Supervisor Eugene McMahon, 45, as he sat in a department vehicle at 40th Road and Northern Boulevard and shot him in the head, fatally wounding him.

The defendant was brought in to answer questions on an unrelated charge and, during the course of that exchange, indicated to police he had knowledge of an unsolved murder. He later confessed to killing Mr. McMahon and was arrested and charged in March 2005.

DA Brown said the defendant "was convicted of a cold-blooded murder of a city employee [whom] he was attempting to rob. His conduct warrants imposition of a maximum prison sentence to punish him and protect society."