On the morning of September 30, 2023, a conversation between two men at the intersection of North Goodman Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Rochester, New York, ended in a fatal act of violence. Vernel Rose, a 31-year-old Black man, was shot in the back of the head as he turned to walk away. The encounter, which occurred around 8:30 a.m., left Rose deceased at the scene near the sidewalk.
Investigators quickly identified 36-year-old Eric Leslie as the suspect in the shooting.
According to police, Leslie fled the scene in a vehicle after firing the fatal shot. Later that same day, officers located Leslie's vehicle on the Inner Loop near Clinton Avenue and conducted a traffic stop. Leslie was taken into custody without incident. A search of his vehicle uncovered two loaded handguns, a. 380 and a 9mm, along with over 130 vials of suspected cocaine and related paraphernalia. As a convicted felon, Leslie was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Following his arrest, Eric Leslie was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. On October 18, 2023, a grand jury indicted him on these charges. The case proceeded to trial, where a Monroe County jury convicted Leslie of Murder in the 2nd Degree and four counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd Degree on October 3, 2025.
On December 19, 2025, New York State Supreme Court Justice Richard M. Healy sentenced Eric Leslie to a term of 40 years to life in prison. During the sentencing, prosecutors emphasized Leslie's disregard for human life and the law, stating that the sentence would ensure he could no longer harm anyone in the community. The conviction and sentence brought a measure of justice to Vernel Rose's family and loved ones, who were left to endure the profound loss of a son, brother, and uncle.
