In the summer of 2019, the life of 27-year-old Joshua Jalovick was tragically cut short in Buffalo, New York. On the evening of July 1st, Jalovick was lured to a residence on Freund Street, where he was shot to death in the backyard. An autopsy would later reveal that he had sustained more than 15 gunshot wounds. The brutal killing was not a random act of violence but a calculated execution to silence a federal informant.
The investigation into Jalovick's death revealed a complex web of
drug trafficking and a deep-seated fear of betrayal. Two men, Gregory Hay and Alphonso Payne, were identified as the primary suspects. Authorities discovered that Hay and Payne believed Jalovick had provided law enforcement with information that led to a search of Hay's residence in May 2019, during which illegal firearms were seized. Fearing further exposure of their drug trafficking operations, which spanned from Salamanca to Olean and involved the distribution of cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin, they conspired to murder Jalovick.
On that fatal July evening, Hay and Payne set their plan into motion. They lured Jalovick to the Freund Street home, a place Payne had previously inhabited. Once Jalovick was in the backyard, Payne opened fire with a semi-automatic pistol, striking him multiple times. As Jalovick lay on the ground, Hay stood over him and fired an additional five shots from a revolver. Following the murder, Hay disposed of the weapons and his cell phone in an attempt to cover their tracks.
The subsequent investigation led to the indictment of Hay and Payne on charges including conspiracy to murder a federal informant and murder of a federal informant. Several other individuals, Daeshawn Stevenson, Raejah Blackwell, and Roland Eady, were also charged with obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury about the events of that night. Their lies included concealing the identities of those present during the murder and denying that Hay and Payne were in the backyard when Jalovick was killed. Ultimately, justice was served. Alphonso Payne was convicted by a federal jury and sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years. Gregory Hay was also convicted on multiple charges, including narcotics conspiracy and the discharge of a firearm causing death, and is awaiting sentencing. The others involved in the cover-up, including Eric Brooks, were also convicted for their roles in obstructing the investigation.
