Prosecutor: Brooklyn man found guilty of first-degree murder, faces 25 years to life in prison

WYANDANCH, NY – A Brooklyn man has been found guilty of the 2020 murder of a Bay Shore man, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced today Tuesday.

A jury found Basheer Vinson, 29, of Brooklyn, guilty Tuesday of premeditated murder, attempted first-degree assault and other related charges in connection with an attempted robbery and shooting that injured Mark Birthwright, 26, of Bay Shore, and Robert Brown, 30, of Bellport in 2020, the district attorney said.

According to the investigation, Vinson went to a house party on Patton Avenue in Wyandanch on August 2, 2020, where Birthwright and Brown were also present, the prosecutor said.

As Birthwright and Brown left the party around 2 a.m., Birthwright dropped a wad of cash on the floor, picked it up and left the party, the prosecutor said.

Outside, Vinson and another unknown person held Birthwright at gunpoint and demanded the money, the prosecutor said.

While Birthwright and Vinson were fighting, Vinson's purple baseball cap fell to the ground.

Finally, Vinson shot Birthwright in the chest, the prosecutor said. Brown turned to help Birthwright, but Vinson fired a shot that struck him in the side, the prosecutor said.

Suffolk County Police were called and Vinson and the other person fled.

Birthwright was pronounced dead at the scene, the prosecutor said. Brown was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the prosecutor said.

Vinson's DNA was recovered from the purple baseball cap left at the crime scene, and a partial DNA profile was recovered from one of the spent 9mm cartridge cases that matched his DNA profile, the prosecutor said. He was arrested on October 4, 2022.

“This defendant shot and killed Mark Birthwright at a house party in Wyandanch and seriously wounded Robert Brown,” Tierney said. “Every resident of Suffolk County has a right to a safe environment without the fear of indiscriminate gunfire. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep dangerous criminals like Basheer Vinson out of our communities.”

On Tuesday, Vinson was found guilty before Superior Court Judge Timothy P. Mazzei of first-degree murder (a Class A felony), attempted assault (a Class C felony), attempted robbery (a Class C felony), assault (a Class D felony) and illegal possession of a firearm (a Class C felony), the district attorney said.

Vinson is due back in court on October 24 and faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life for the most important charge, prosecutors said.

He is represented by John Halverson, who was not immediately available for comment.