In the spring of 2022, a domestic dispute in a Queens home escalated to a fatal encounter that would ultimately lead to an international manhunt and a life sentence for the perpetrator. The victim was Gladstone Barrett, a 72-year-old male, who succumbed to a gunshot wound on April 19, 2022, more than two weeks after being shot in his Springfield Gardens residence.
The chain of events began on April 1, 2022, when Sheldon Dottin, the 51-year-old ex-boyfriend of Barrett's daughter, traveled
from his home in Maryland to Queens. He rented a car in New Jersey and drove to the home of Gladstone Barrett. Dottin, who had two children with Barrett’s daughter, had recently been separated from her in a breakup that Barrett had supported. Disguised in a hat and mask, Dottin entered the home and, following a confrontation, shot the elderly man. The gunshot resulted in injuries to Barrett's hand, esophagus, and liver. Before being transported to the hospital, Barrett was able to identify Dottin as his attacker to both his wife and a police officer.
Immediately following the shooting, Sheldon Dottin fled the country in an attempt to evade capture, making his way to Panama. His time as a fugitive was short-lived, however, as he was apprehended by authorities in Panama while attempting to board a flight to Trinidad. He was subsequently extradited back to Queens to face charges for his crime.
Dottin's trial concluded in April 2025 with a jury finding him guilty of murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before reaching their verdict. Following the conviction, Sheldon Dottin was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of Gladstone Barrett, bringing a close to a tragic case that spanned from a quiet Queens neighborhood to the tropics and back to a New York City courtroom.
