SCHENECTADY — The jury has begun deliberations in the trial of Markeith Buchanan, who stands accused of a fatal shooting outside VibeZ Bar & Lounge in Schenectady in 2022.
At 25 years old, Buchanan is facing a felony charge of second-degree murder, along with two charges of criminal possession of a weapon. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to anywhere between 15 years to life and 25 years to life in prison for the murder charge.
Judge Matthew Sypniewski clarified to the jury on Tuesday that if they do not find Buchanan guilty of the murder charge, they can still consider convicting him on the lesser charges of first-or- second-degree manslaughter.
During his closing statement, Buchanan’s attorney, Kurt Haas, repeatedly showed video footage of his client being assaulted on the night of the July 1, 2022 incident. Haas argued that Buchanan did not intentionally kill John Bass that night.
“My client retrieved his gun from his car for self-defense,” Haas stated. “He had no intention to shoot or kill John Bass. This is evident from his own testimony and his actions that night.”
Haas further argued that if Buchanan had intended to kill Bass, he would have had multiple opportunities to do so before Bass was within 3-to-6 feet of him when he was shot. Haas maintained that Buchanan shot Bass once because he felt it was necessary.
“I propose to you that my client’s actions were justified,” Haas said. “My client did what he believed was necessary.”
Throughout the four-day trial, video footage captured from cell phones, the bar’s surveillance system, and the Schenectady Camera Project was presented to the jury to illustrate the events of that night. The footage shows Buchanan being assaulted by Bass and being labeled a “snitch.” The defense argues that this confrontation led Buchanan to fear for his life and retrieve his gun from his car for protection. The prosecution, however, contends that Buchanan retrieved his gun not for protection, but for retaliation.
Intent and justification cannot coexist, Schenectady County Assistant District Attorney Nicholaus McDonald told the jury.
“Buchanan himself stated that it was not a kill-or-be-killed situation,” McDonald said.
The prosecutor argued that after Bass had exposed Buchanan as a “snitch” and assaulted him, Buchanan had ample opportunities to leave the scene.
“The defendant was the initial aggressor, and he was the only one to introduce deadly physical force,” McDonald said.
McDonald argued that the initial altercation should have been the end of the story, but Buchanan went to his car, retrieved his gun, and then shot Bass when he was within 3-to-6 feet of him in the parking lot.
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