A jury has convicted a Bronx man of fatally shooting his neighbor during a dispute over a 40-cent debt for a cigarette.
Lamont Jones, 45, was accused of shooting Ibushio Sealey, 35, five times in the University Heights apartment building where they both lived, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said Wednesday in announcing the verdict.
"The sadness of this crime is incomprehensible," Clark said. "The victim and defendant had been arguing about the defendant’s delay in paying the 40 cents he owed for a loose cigarette, and a petty matter led to the murder of one man and a possible life sentence for another.”
Jurors convicted Jones on charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon on Tuesday at the end of a two-week trial.
Jones bought a cigarette from Sealey and owed him 40 cents. They feuded over the debt, even after Jones had paid it, according to trial testimony.
Jones faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life. Sentencing is scheduled for May 10.
