It took a Manhattan jury less than four hours Tuesday to convict a young thug in the random Harlem murder of promising high school basketball standout Tayshana “Chicken” Murphy.
Robert Cartagena, 23, stared intently at the jury as the foreman announced “guilty” on each of five counts of murder, burglary and criminal possession of a weapon.
Murphy’s mother Tephanie Holston broke down in sobs in the gallery and exclaimed “Yes!” when the verdict was read.
She then slowly rocked in her seat as she repeated, “My baby, my baby.”
Murphy, 18, was a tragic casualty of a violent feud between rivals of two West Harlem housing projects September 11th of 2011, prosecutors said.
The senior at Murry Bergtraum High School had been considered one of the country’s top female point guards.
“I’m very happy someone was held accountable,” said the slain girl’s father Taylonn Murphy. “But how can there really be any justice when we can’t hold her and we can’t hug her? It’s bittersweet.”
Cartagena’s co-defendant Tyshawn Brockington, 24, was convicted by jury in June of 2013 and sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison.
Cartagena is expected to be sentenced April 28.
“We have seen too many innocent victims lose their lives – and too many families grieving loved ones – because of senseless feuds between young people who wreak havoc in their neighborhoods,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance in a press release. “I will continue to make it a top priority for my Office to remove these dangerous weapons from our city and to work closely with our community partners to make our city safer.”