Queens Man Convicted For 2011 Nassau Murder

A Queens man was convicted of murder for his role in the 2011 robbery and shooting of a man in Freeport in 2011.

Jerod Plowden, 30, was convicted on Friday of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree robbery and second-degree robbery. He is due back in court for sentencing on Nov. 27, and could face life in prison.

“Jerod Plowden robbed and then viciously shot and killed Moez Hassan at point-blank-range in broad daylight,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said. “While a guilty verdict cannot bring Mr. Hassan back to his family, we hope today’s conviction brings them some solace knowing his killer will be behind bars for many years.”

On April 12, 2011, around 1:30 p.m., Plowden and another man, Nolan Gaugler, met with Moez Hassan outside of an abandoned home on Steven Street in Freeport. They said they were there to buy Xanax pills from him. Instead, Plowden and Gaugler robbed Hassan of 75 Xanax pills and approximately $30 at gunpoint.

Hassan, who was 23 at the time, was then shot five times: once in the head, chest and left arm, and twice in the abdomen. The police department's ShotSpotter system picked up the noise of the gunshots and officers responded to the area. The two ran, but Gaugler was caught within minutes several blocks away, still in possession of the stolen drugs and money.

Plowden was arrested 16 days later in Suffolk County when the car he was a passenger in was pulled over during a routine traffic stop. Gaugler pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Photo courtesy Nassau County Police Department