Jury Discussions Begin in 2022 Schenectady Homicide Case

February 24, 2024

Updated: February 24, 2024

SCHENECTADY – ⁢The⁢ trial of Anthony Romero, accused of a fatal shooting on Hulett Street in ⁤2022, reached a critical point on Friday afternoon as jurors began deliberations following the closing arguments.

The eight-day trial in Schenectady County Court scrutinized the circumstances surrounding ‍the death ‌of Treavine Tate, who was gunned down ⁤multiple times on May 30, 2022.

Romero is facing a slew of ⁣charges including one count of second-degree murder, a Class A-I felony;⁢ two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, class C violent felonies; and, one count of tampering ⁢with physical evidence, a class E felony.

Should Romero be found guilty, his sentence could span from⁤ 15 years to life, and 25 years to life if he is convicted on the murder charge. The jury also has the discretion ⁤to ‌find Romero guilty of the ⁤lesser⁢ included offense of first-degree ⁢manslaughter, if ⁣they do not find him guilty of the second-degree murder charge.

During his⁤ closing⁢ statement, Defense attorney Kyle Davis emphasized the perceived threat that Romero felt⁤ on the night of ⁣the incident.‍ Davis argued ‌that his ⁣client was fearful for ⁣his life, believing he would⁣ not make it home that night.

Davis suggested that the absence of ⁣a ‌gun in the videos⁢ of‍ the incident does not necessarily mean that Tate did not have access to a firearm, either from his ⁢group of friends or⁢ from a‌ nearby vehicle.

Davis argued that Romero was compelled ‍to draw his ⁣weapon due to being outnumbered, having no easy escape route, feeling threatened, and ⁤fearing for his life.

“If you’re told you’re not making it home, you’re going to get shot, you’re going to die — you’re⁢ not going ⁢to ‌believe you can’t make it home safely, or retreat safely,” Davis said.

He further argued ‍that the ⁢evidence clearly indicates that Romero‌ believed his life was in danger.

“Imagine that’s you in that situation. What do you⁣ think you would do?” Davis asked ‍the jury.

Davis ‍painted a picture of Romero in ‌a high-stakes⁢ situation, arguing that ‌if‍ he did not take the threats against him seriously, he could have lost his life.

“When someone starts threatening your⁢ life in Hamilton Hill late at night, when⁢ you’re all alone,‌ those threats⁤ need to be taken seriously,” Davis said. “Because there’s a very good chance that those threats⁣ are real, and if you don’t take those threats seriously, you’re⁢ going to die. Especially when the person threatening‌ to kill you is somebody like Treavine Tate.”

Davis argued that Romero felt he had no choice but to shoot Tate, who ‌was drunk, irrational, holding a bottle, known for violence, ⁢and was threatening Romero.

Assistant District Attorney Mike Nobles, who is‍ prosecuting the case, countered in his closing statement that Romero was the initial aggressor in this incident.

“Even if you believe everything the defendant testified to, even if you believe the version of events as they were given to you by Mr. Davis, it’s not justification,” Nobles said. “It’s not justification if you apply the law. You can believe him and‌ still ⁢convict him of murder.”

Nobles presented⁣ the jury with video clips from the incident on Hulett Street, which they had ‌seen throughout the trial. He pointed out the distance between Tate and Romero in ⁤the video, and argued that Romero was the one advancing towards Tate.

“You‍ can’t kill someone just in case they might get a ⁤gun. That’s ‌not justification,” Nobles said.

Nobles argued that Romero‍ shot⁤ Tate out of ⁢jealousy and anger ⁣because Tate was with his ex-girlfriend.

“What did Tate do to justify his own killing? What‌ were his actions that ⁣he did, that he needed to‍ die that night for?” Nobles‍ asked. “Everyone has a right to live. He (Tate) ran his mouth, but he didn’t kill anybody, he didn’t shoot anybody, he wasn’t ‌even wandering the streets ‌of Schenectady with a loaded gun. He didn’t go find Mr. Romero. He was just⁢ drunk on his 21st birthday, and said some stupid stuff.”