In the early morning hours of June 18, 2022, a violent encounter inside a Poughkeepsie, New York, grocery store tragically cut short the life of 27-year-old Atiba Proverbs. The male victim, who was Black/African American, was at the Casablanca grocery store on Main Street when he was ambushed and shot multiple times. The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m., and despite being rushed to MidHudson Regional Hospital, Proverbs succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
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investigation into the fatal shooting quickly pointed to 31-year-old Carlton Belton, a resident of Poughkeepsie with a history of violent felonies. Surveillance footage from the store captured the harrowing moments as Belton ambushed Proverbs, shooting him repeatedly before calmly leaving the scene. In a turn of events, Belton himself later appeared at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his abdomen, an injury he sustained during the altercation with Proverbs. Following medical treatment, Belton was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Police also reported that a third man, a 40-year-old, was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg in connection with the incident.
The legal proceedings against Carlton Belton moved forward, culminating in a jury finding him guilty of both murder and weapons possession in February 2023. During the trial, his status as a persistent violent felon was a significant factor. In April 2023, a Dutchess County Court Judge handed down a sentence of 41 years to life in prison for Belton. The sentence was structured as 25 years to life for the murder conviction and a consecutive term of 16 years to life for the weapons charge. The prosecution highlighted Belton's extensive criminal history and characterized him as one of Poughkeepsie's most dangerous career criminals.
