JAMAICA — Shawn Forde was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday morning for killing a Queens bodega owner in October 2010.
Forde, 29, of Jamaica, Queens, robbed the Lucky Deli at 220-26 Merrick Blvd., grabbing the deli owner, Felix Torres, by his head and slamming it onto the counter while demanding money, according to the Queens District Attorney.
Torres' brother, Juan Torres, 54, came out from the back of the store to aid his sibling and Forde shot him once in the head before fleeing the scene.
“This is a sad and tragic case in which a hardworking family man was killed in a senseless manner," said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown in a statement. "With his guilty plea, the defendant has taken responsibility for his actions and thus spared the victim’s family the anguish of a trial.”
Brown pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in April and was sentenced in Queens Supreme Court by Justice Richard L. Buchter.
Forde had been a customer at the bodega, according to a spokeswoman for the Queens District Attorney's office, and was arrested after someone recognized him.