On the morning of March 1, 2018, in Yonkers, New York, 36-year-old Timothy Conkling, a driver for a private carting company, was beginning his workday. As he was stepping into his truck on Ashburton Avenue at approximately 10:50 a.m., he was struck by a single gunshot to the head. First responders found him lifeless at the scene. The man responsible for the fatal shot was Heriberto Morales, who fired the weapon from a window in an apartment adjacent to the parking lot where Conkling's truck was
parked.
Yonkers Police initiated an immediate investigation, and with the assistance of video surveillance, they were able to piece together the events leading to the shooting and Morales's movements after the fact. This swift police work led to the arrest of Heriberto Morales on the very same day as the murder. On July 19, 2018, a Westchester County Grand Jury indicted Morales on several charges, including Murder in the Second Degree.
Ultimately, Heriberto Morales pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. As a result of his plea, in June 2019, he was sentenced to 19 years to life in state prison for the murder and a concurrent sentence of 16 years to life for the weapons charge. During the sentencing, Timothy Conkling's wife and two daughters gave emotional statements, expressing the profound loss their family has endured. The death of the Montrose man, described as a devoted husband and amazing father, occurred just days before one of his daughter's 17th birthdays.
