Alonzo Garaycochea, a 25-year-old male, was a father of two who had moved to Albany from Washington, D.C., to be near his young son and daughter. Known to his friends and family as a caring individual who enjoyed cooking and making music under the name Zoe Rage, he worked at a local McDonald's and dreamed of one day attending culinary school. His life was cut short in what would become the city's first homicide of 2017.
In the early morning hours of February 12, 2017, a 911 call reported
a shooting at a basement apartment on Clinton Avenue. Inside, officers found Garaycochea with a single gunshot wound to his torso. He was rushed to Albany Medical Center Hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Investigators quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence and believed Garaycochea was acquainted with his killer. The shooting was the culmination of a dispute that had started over text messages between a man named Justin McGraw and Garaycochea's girlfriend. McGraw arrived at the apartment with a group of people on a party bus, leading to an argument and a physical altercation. During the fight, one witness testified that McGraw pointed a handgun at Garaycochea. As the group was leaving, a single shot from a. 22-caliber handgun was fired.
The investigation led police to 31-year-old Waverly Pleasant, a parolee who was part of the group that had arrived at the apartment. In April 2017, U.S. Marshals apprehended Pleasant in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was charged with second-degree murder and weapon possession. The legal proceedings that followed were challenging for the prosecution. The case against Pleasant was hampered by a lack of physical evidence; the gun used in the shooting was never recovered. Additionally, eyewitnesses provided conflicting accounts of the events that transpired that night, and a general lack of cooperation from witnesses slowed the investigation.
Waverly Pleasant stood trial twice for the murder of Alonzo Garaycochea. The first trial concluded with a hung jury, unable to reach a unanimous verdict. A second trial was held, but the persistent issues with the prosecution's case, including the conflicting testimonies and absence of forensic evidence, proved insurmountable. In April 2018, after deliberating for only about 30 minutes, the jury acquitted Pleasant of all charges. The verdict left the family and friends of Alonzo Garaycochea without legal closure in his death.
