A Rensselaer County jury found Ramel Gulley, age 29, of Schenectady, and William Webb, age 30, of Brooklyn, guilty of second-degree murder on Friday, March 22, in the killing of Christopher Anthony.
Prosecutors said Gulley, Webb, and a third defendant forced their way into Anthony’s Troy home, located near River Street and Glen Avenue, on Jan. 5, 2022.
They shot the boy multiple times in the torso and once in the head, according to investigators. The Troy High School student died from his injuries the next day.
What followed was a months-long investigation by Troy Police that also involved the FBI Albany’s Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, as well as the NYPD in Brooklyn.
“As the case developed, multiple search warrants were executed and evidence connected to the incident was located,” Troy Police said. “Additionally, a significant quantity of narcotics and firearms were removed from the streets.”
The Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office eventually presented the case to a grand jury, which returned indictments against the three defendants. They were arrested with assistance from the US Marshals.
Gulley and Webb face up to 25 years to life in prison when they’re sentenced on Friday, April 19.
A trial for the third defendant, 21-year-old Kahlil Clay, is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 8.
Following Friday’s guilty verdicts, the Troy Police Department praised detectives and the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office for their “exemplary dedication and professionalism” in solving the murder.
“Their relentless pursuit of justice, attention to detail, and commitment to upholding the law have been instrumental in bringing closure to this matter and ensuring the safety and well-being of our community,” the agency said.
Christopher, also known to friends and family as “Tookie," “Big Don," and “Ant Daklikka," was an aspiring rap artist and entrepreneur, according to his obituary.
"His loving memory will live on in all of those who got the chance to know him during this short period here on earth as one who could make a room light up, for his love to eat and smoke and for always being on the phone with the girls," reads his memorial.
It goes on to say that he'll be remembered as being "fun filled, loving, caring and loyal, a genius, an inspiration to so many, known as a class clown and a practical joker and would steal your chips or your socks but most of all for being his mom’s best friend."
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