Death of Officer Thomas Lindsey
UTICA, ONEIDA COUNTY -- The trial of a man accused of killed a Utica Police Officer has finally reached a verdict.
After more than 16 hours of deliberations in the Oneida County court house, the jury has found Wesley Molina-Cirino, 24, guilty of killing Utica Police Officer Thomas Lindsey. Molina-Cirino now faces up to life in prison for his conviction. He has been charged with Aggravated Murder.
Prosecutors in the case say Molina-Cirino ambushed Officer Lindsey during a routine traffic stop. During the two-day trial, there was an agreement from both sides that there was a lack of physical evidence that actually linked Molina-Cirino to Officer Lindsey’s death.
Much of the prosecution’s case rested in the hands of a witness. The witness, Sammy Rivera was the man who Officer Lindsey pulled over last April. That’s when Lindsey was attacked from behind and was shot in the head and killed. Rivera told jurors that Molina-Cirino did not like Officer Lindsey because he had arrested him twice already, and continued to harass him.
Molina-Cirino’s sentencing will take place on May 22nd.
