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Freeport men Eric Baldwin and Corey Grier were each handed sentences of 20 years or more in prison, the Nassau County District Attorney announced on Monday, Nov. 13.
Earlier Report: Duo Admits Guilt For Murder, Robbery In Freeport
Baldwin and Grier had previously pleaded guilty to the robbery, shooting, and killing of Long Beach resident James Diamond in September 2021.
Diamond, a 28-year-old aspiring musician, drove with a friend to a law firm in Long Beach on September 10, 2021, to pick up a $55,000 check that he won in a lawsuit. After they grabbed Diamond’s check, they picked up Grier, age 29, and went to a check cashing company.
Once cashed, the trio drove to South Bay Avenue in Freeport, where Diamond and his friend eventually got out to attempt to deposit the money at a bank nearby.
While the two were doing that, Grier called 27-year-old Baldwin and planned to meet up on South Bay Avenue (along with two others, Todd Brant and Akeem Chambers). The group confronted Diamond and his friend when they returned from the bank, unable to make a deposit.
Baldwin and Chambers took the two victims out of the car at gunpoint; after a struggle, Baldwin shot Diamond in the stomach, took the bag of cash, and ran.
Diamond was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
“Eric Baldwin and Corey Grier helped lure...James Diamond to his death," said Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. "Jimmy Diamond was a popular and talented young man who was taken too early. We extend our condolences to his countless family members and friends”
In September of 2023, Baldwin pleaded guilty to:
- Murder;
- Robbery, both first- and second-degree; and
- Criminal possession of a weapon
At his sentencing, he received 23 years to life in prison.
Grier, who pleaded guilty to robbery and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in August 2023, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision.
The DA’s Office said Chambers and Brant are being prosecuted federally for their involvement in the incident and additional violent crimes.
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