On a Tuesday evening in Niagara Falls, New York, the life of 30-year-old William A. 'Billy' Reilly was tragically cut short. On September 23, 2014, inside his home in the 800 block of Pierce Avenue, Reilly was shot twice at close range in his upper body. The shooting was the culmination of an argument. His girlfriend placed a frantic call to 911, and police arrived to find Reilly mortally wounded.
He was rushed to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation quickly led authorities to 18-year-old Darrell Jermaine Belton. Following the shooting, Belton led police on a high-speed chase before being apprehended. At the time of the incident, Belton was already out on bail for a drug-related case. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and first-degree criminal use of a firearm in connection with Reilly's death. Belton pleaded not guilty to the charges and was held in jail without bail.
The legal proceedings that followed saw the prosecution build a case against Belton. An attorney for Belton had initially sought to arrange a plea deal, and prosecutors consulted with Reilly's grieving family about the available options. Ultimately, the case went to trial. In June 2015, a jury found Darrell Belton guilty of murder and weapons possession for the killing of William Reilly. Police reports suggested that the argument that led to the fatal shooting was over a delayed marijuana delivery. Belton was sentenced on September 16, 2015, and later appealed his conviction. However, the appellate court unanimously affirmed the original judgment, ruling that the court had not erred in imposing consecutive sentences.
