A Queens jury convicted a young thug today for the senseless murder of a gas station attendant he was robbing.
Maurice Echols, 24, of Jamaica, was found guilty of first- and second-degree murder for his plan to rob the Mobil gas station on Roosevelt Avenue on July 25, 2010 which ended with the fatal shooting of overnight attendant Nadeem Khan.
“Maurice asked if I was down with robbing a gas station, I said no, but we went inside anyway,” said accomplice Christopher Roberts, a cooperation witness who will be sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the murder.
“Maurice went behind the counter, demanding money from the clerk as he held a silver gun to the clerk,” said Roberts, 24, who mumbled his words and timidly answered questions as Echols intently stared at his former buddy from the opposite side of the courtroom.
The 39-year-old worker was mercilessly shot three times by Echols — the robbery was captured on video surveillance which Khan’s relatives feverishly cried as they watched during the three-week trial.
Roberts stole cigarettes and cigars before fleeing the scene with Echols.
Echols faces life in prison without parole when he is sentenced by Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak on May 29.