What to Know
- A 73-year-old man faces up to 55 years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder and drug charges in the 2021 shooting of a deli owner in Queens and the subsequent discovery of a large amount of heroin in his home, according to the local district attorney's office.
- James Fraley, of St. Albans, was convicted late last week of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, robbery in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. His sentencing is set for June 16
- According to the charges and trial testimony, n Aug. 12, 2021, at around 2 p.m., Fraley entered the Rojas Deli on Hillside Avenue, ordered a sandwich before shooting the owner, Rufino Rojas-Flores, in the chest. He subsequently then turned the gun on the owner’s daughter, who was working behind the counter, demanding the money in the register, according to the charges.
A 73-year-old man faces up to 55 years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder and drug charges in the 2021 shooting of a deli owner in Queens and the subsequent discovery of a large amount of heroin in his home, according to the local district attorney's office.
James Fraley, of St. Albans, was convicted late last week of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, robbery in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. His sentencing is set for June 16. He is on lifetime parole for a 1989 murder conviction.
The conviction is related to a series of incidents that took place in August 2021.
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According to the charges and trial testimony, n Aug. 12, 2021, at around 2 p.m., Fraley entered the Rojas Deli on Hillside Avenue, ordered a sandwich before shooting the owner, Rufino Rojas-Flores, in the chest. He subsequently then turned the gun on the owner’s daughter, who was working behind the counter, demanding the money in the register, according to the charges.
The daughter gave him between $100 and $200 cash and Fraley fled with a deli worker chasing him. Surveillance video showed the worker running after an older man and it also captured Fraley in the subway stop.
Days later, on Aug. 17, an officer recognized Fraley from the wanted poster and pulled him over for a traffic violation.
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When detectives went to Fraley’s home, they found a .357 caliber revolver, a .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol loaded with six rounds of ammunition, and a safe containing more than 12 ounces of heroin, the district attorney's office said citing the charges and trial testimony. Drug paraphernalia, including hundreds of glassine envelopes, were also discovered in the home.
Rojas-Flores was treated at the hospital for injuries to his liver from the gunshot wound.
“He killed once before and was armed and willing to do so again," Katz said. "The jury has spoken and we will be asking the court for an appropriately lengthy sentence.”
