A Westchester County Judge sentenced Terrence Gonzalez to 25 years in prison for the fatal shooting of his neighbor, Lateef Butler.
On June 26, 2020, Gonzalez shot Butler five times with a .38 caliber revolver on the street at 354 Nepperhan Ave in Yonkers. Butler was later pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s Medical Center.
During Gonzalez’s trial in late 2022, he claimed self-defense. He asserted that Butler and a friend came to look for him at his home with violent intentions. This was supposedly in retribution for an assault Gonzalez committed on the friend weeks prior. The lawyer for the defense, Anthony Mattesi, said in his closing statements at trial,“Terrence Gonzalez made the decision to live that day.”
Prosecutors dismissed this claim of self-defense in their charges of second degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. The jury convicted Gonzalez of these offenses on December 21st, 2022.
“In keeping my promise to hold perpetrators of gun violence accountable, today’s sentence brings justice for Lateef Butler’s family and removes a dangerous individual from our streets”
Mimi Rocah – Westchester County District Attorney
In the sentencing, Judge Fufidio rejected the defense’s plea for the minimum sentence of 15 years to life. Instead, Gonzalez will serve 25 years to life in a state prison.
