SCHENECTADY — The trial of a Schenectady man, Anthony Romero, 25, accused of the murder of another man on Hulett Street in 2022, has begun with opening statements focusing on the question of self-defense.
Anthony Romero stands accused of the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Treavine L. Tate during the Memorial Day weekend in 2022. Both the defense and the prosecution have referred to a video of the incident, which is expected to be presented during the trial.
Romero is facing a primary charge of second-degree murder, along with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and one count of tampering with physical evidence.
Mike Nobles, the Schenectady County Assistant District Attorney, informed the jury that Romero was engaged in a conversation with an unarmed Tate when he shot him multiple times, even after Tate had fallen to the ground.
Nobles further stated that Romero fled the scene post-shooting and managed to evade the police for five months before he was finally apprehended.
“Upon his capture, Romero confessed to the killing of Tate to the law enforcement officers. He did this because he had no other option but to stop running and hiding, and he was still attempting to escape the consequences of his actions,” Nobles said.
Romero claimed to the Albany police officers who arrested him that he shot Tate in self-defense, according to Nobles.
The video evidence shows that Tate was unarmed, and Romero fired his weapon at least six times, hitting Tate four times, Nobles added.
“Romero, by his own admission, is responsible for the killing,” Nobles said. “The video shows Romero shooting Tate, and the bullet is the cause of death, as you will hear from the medical examiner.”
Nobles argued that Romero had the chance to walk away from the situation but chose not to. He suggested that Romero was motivated by jealousy and anger, as his ex-girlfriend was now dating Tate.
“Romero initiated the interaction,” Nobles said. “He was the only one armed with a gun, and he was the one who drew the weapon. Romero knew that Tate was unarmed. He admitted that. There was no physical altercation, no punches thrown.”
Romero’s defense attorney, Kyle Davis, argued that Romero was justified in shooting Trevine Tate that night.
“This was not a cold-blooded murder driven by jealousy. This was self-defense, plain and simple,” Davis said.
Davis stated that Romero was in fear for his life at the time of the incident. He explained that Romero was dating Tate’s ex-girlfriend, and Tate was dating Romero’s ex-girlfriend.
Romero was walking alone when he encountered Tate and a group of his friends. This was a random encounter, Davis said.
“Tate was not pleased with what Romero was saying,” Davis said. “He was offended by something Romero said about Tate’s ex-girlfriend, who was now Romero’s girlfriend. Tate, who had been drinking all day, had a glass bottle in his hand and began to show aggression towards Romero.”
Davis argued that Tate threatened Romero, prompting Romero to draw his illegal firearm.
“Romero pulled out his gun, aware of Tate’s reputation as a dangerous individual,” Davis said. “But at that moment, he did not shoot Tate. He was using the gun defensively, hoping that Tate would back down.”
As the conversation between Tate and Romero continued, Tate kept threatening Romero, Davis said.
“Eventually, Romero felt he had no other option but to shoot Treavine Tate,” Davis said. “There was no shooting while Tate was trying to escape, no shooting while his back was turned. This shooting occurred because Romero saw the situation escalating, and at that point, he did not believe he could leave safely.”
Romero fired his weapon out of “pure fear and reaction” to the situation created by Tate, Davis said.
Romero turned down a plea deal last month. If he had accepted the deal and pleaded guilty, he would have served a predetermined sentence of 20 years-to-life. If the jury finds Romero guilty of the second-degree murder charge, his sentence could range from 15 years to life to 25 years to life.
Witness testimonies in this trial are set to begin on Friday morning.
Prosecutors should consider all evidence before dismissing self-defense arguments #disagree