In the University Heights neighborhood of the Bronx, a dispute over the drug trade reached a violent and tragic conclusion for 62-year-old Robert Brown, Sr. For months leading up to a fatal Sunday in December, tensions had been escalating in Aqueduct Park. Brown had been selling crack cocaine in larger quantities than other dealers in the area, drawing the ire of his competitors.
This business rivalry led to threats against his life from a group involved in a local drug distribution conspiracy.
On the afternoon of December 5, 2021, the conflict came to a head in a brazen act of violence. In broad daylight, with several witnesses present, Robert Brown was attacked in the park. A man named Ricardo Ferguson, who went by the alias 'Maybach,' along with a co-conspirator, assaulted Brown in an attempt to rob him. During this physical altercation, Ferguson pulled out a firearm and shot Brown in the head. Police responded to a 911 call and discovered Brown, who was then transported to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation into the murder led to the arrest of Ricardo Ferguson, who was 36 years old at the time. In May 2022, he was federally charged with the murder of Robert Brown, Sr. Following a six-day trial in June 2024, a jury convicted Ferguson on charges of murder, robbery, and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. The evidence presented at trial detailed his role in the drug operation and the execution-style killing. For his crimes, Ricardo Ferguson was sentenced to life in prison, ensuring that the man responsible for the public execution of Robert Brown would spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
