By Alexander Dworkowitz
Robert Majors, 36, of Jamaica was convicted of attempted murder and robbery charges in the 1997 Flushing ambush of one off-duty and one retired police officer, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Friday.
Majors was convicted following a non-jury trial before State Supreme Court Justice John B. Latella Jr, the DA said. An earlier guilty verdict for Majors had been set aside following allegations of juror misconduct, although his conviction on weapons charges from the same incident was permitted to stand.
Majors, who is serving a sentence of 12 years to life for the earlier conviction, faces up to an additional 75 years to life when Latella imposes a sentence on Nov. 27.
Brown said “this was a brazen and violent robbery in which off-duty detective Arthur Pettus and retired police officer Joseph Bellone were ambushed in broad daylight as they were making a delivery. Officer Bellone was shot 13 times and Detective Pettus was shot as many as seven times. It is a miracle that they survived.”
On the morning of May 9, 1997, according to trial testimony, Pettus and Bellone were working for a private security firm and were delivering about $80,000 in payroll to Positive Promotions, a printing firm at 168th Street and Station Road in Flushing.
According to the testimony, Majors was lying in wait in a parked van along with Aaron Boone, 30, of Elmhurst and Bernard Johnson, 28, of the Bronx. The men attacked the officers, fired a total of 48 rounds, grabbed a bag containing cash and fled, prosecutors said.
Boone was already convicted of attempted murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon and is serving a term of 86 years in prison, said Brown. Johnson was convicted of robbery and is serving a sentence of 40 years, said Brown.
Assistant District Attorneys James W. Evangelou and Andrea M. Eckhardt prosecuted the case.
Reach Reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 141.
