Hewlett Man Convicted Of Fatally Stabbing Man In Heart: NCDA

MINEOLA, NY — A Hewlett man has been convicted on murder charges for stabbing a man in the heart in 2020, Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly's office said.

Keith Pooler, 56, was convicted on Friday of second-degree murder and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The trial began on May 5 with the jury deliberating for less than a full day before delivering its verdict, the DA said.

Pooler is due back in court on July 28, where he faces a potential maximum sentence of up to 25 to life in prison, the DA's office said.

"Keith Pooler escalated a petty dispute into a deadly encounter, which ended with the defendant plunging a knife into Andre Garry’s chest," Donnelly said in a statement. "We are pleased with the jury’s verdict, and that the defendant will be held accountable for his decision to take a life that day."

According to the charges, Pooler had an altercation with 49-year-old Andre Garry on the corner of Terrace and Fulton avenues. As it escalated, Pooler pulled out a 5-inch steak knife and stabbed Garry in the heart.

Pooler fled, but the murder weapon was recovered nearby by police less than twenty minutes after the incident, the DA's office said.