Man pleads guilty in 2023 Schenectady homicide case

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- A man connected to the 2023 Lincoln Avenue homicide pleaded guilty in Schenectady County Court on Monday. Jevoun Drake, 19, admitted to causing the death of Usman Pirzada during a robbery.

The Schenectady County District Attorney's Office said Drake pleaded guilty and agreed to accept a sentence of 19 years to life in prison. In addition to Drake's conviction, Jose Amey, 19, pleaded guilty on an earlier date to forcibly robbing Pirzada moments before Drake shot him.

Court officials said Drake and Amey intended to rob Pirzada of marijuana on December 19, 2023, after Amey arraigned for them to meet. Pirzada was in the backseat of the car when Amey took the marijuana, and Drake shot him in the head.

District Attorney Robert M. Carney said Detective Aaron Zampella of the Schenectady Police Department deserves credit for his patience and painstaking interview with Drake when he admitted to shooting Pirzada and showing Zampella where he hid the gun. He added that the case is another example of the tragic consequences of young men arming themselves to commit crime.

"Mr. Drake was forthright in admitting that he alone was responsible for the death of Mr. Pirzada," Carney said. "Although both young men planned this robbery, murder was not a part of their plan. Mr. Drake said he panicked and pulled the trigger when Mr. Pirzada grabbed for the gun. Both of these young men expressed remorse for their actions."

Drake's sentencing is on February 25, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Amey is serving a sentence of seven years in prison and five years of probation after pleading guilty to second-degree robbery.