On a tragic Thursday evening in Rochester, New York, the life of 24-year-old Markwaun Williams was cut short. On September 20, 2018, Williams and another man, 26-year-old Justin Siler, were shot on the corner of Wilkins Street. The violent encounter left both men with fatal injuries, sending ripples of shock and grief through their community. Williams, a father to a son, Markwaun Jr., and a daughter, Madison, was remembered by his loving parents, Mark and Stacie, and a large circle of family
and friends.
The investigation into the double homicide led the Rochester Police Department to an arrest. Kyrell Gilroy, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of second-degree murder. According to court documents, Gilroy admitted on video and audio recordings to possessing a firearm and firing the shots that resulted in the deaths of Williams and Siler. Despite this, he pleaded not guilty, and the case proceeded to trial where he would be tried as an adult.
The legal proceedings brought a complicated conclusion to the case. A jury acquitted Kyrell Gilroy of the two second-degree murder charges. However, he was not absolved of responsibility for the deaths of Markwaun Williams and Justin Siler. The jury found him guilty of two counts of first-degree manslaughter and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. In the end, Gilroy was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with an additional five years of post-release supervision, a significant sentence that the prosecution hoped would bring a measure of closure to the grieving families and ensure community safety.
