On the afternoon of November 13, 2017, Leeandre Benton, an 18-year-old Black / African American male from Hamden, Connecticut, was walking near the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. His life was cut short in a fatal encounter that began as a robbery. That day, three individuals—James Graham, Robert Moye, and Brennen Coleman—all armed, conspired to rob Benton.
When Benton resisted their attempt, the situation escalated with tragic consequences.
Hamden Police responded to reports of a shooting on Dudley Street and discovered Benton suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Despite medical efforts, Leeandre Benton succumbed to his injuries the following day. The investigation into his death revealed that he had been shot in the back of the head. Family and community members remembered him as a "good young man" with a future full of promise.
The investigation led by the Hamden Police Department resulted in the arrests of all three assailants in July 2018. Moye and Coleman were charged with felony murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery. Graham faced similar charges. In October 2019, a jury found James Graham guilty of murder and other charges. He was subsequently sentenced to 52 years in prison in December 2019. In September 2020, Robert Moye and Brennen Coleman both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery. Each was sentenced to 20 years in prison, suspended after 12 years, which will be followed by five years of probation.
