16YO Enters Plea In Greenburgh Murder, Robbery

GREENBURGH, NY — A Greenburgh teenager has entered a plea in the shooting death of a neighbor in the apartment complex in which they all lived. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr. said Thursday that Trevon Major, 16, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies, in the death of Joseph Smith III, 46, of Greenburgh.

Scarpino said about 7:30 p.m Aug. 27, 2017, in the parking lot of an apartment building on Manhattan Avenue in the Town of Greenburgh, Trevon Major, his brother and co-defendant Vance Major and co-defendant Timothy Whitney robbed the son of Smith’s fiancé.

Soon afterward, in the vestibule area of the building, the robbery victim argued with Vance Major and Whitney about getting his property back, and Trevon Major came downstairs and threatened him with a gun.

The robbery victim’s mother came from her nearby apartment and pleaded with Trevon Major to not shoot her son.

The son left and returned to his home in a neighboring building.

Moments later, Smith went to the apartment of Trevon and Vance Major and knocked on the door.

The brothers and Whitney were all inside, police said.

Trevon Major answered the door with a gun in his hand and shot Smith one time in the chest as Smith stood in the hallway, according to authorities.

A neighbor who heard the gunshot called the police.

Greenburgh police responded and saw a blood trail from the hallway outside the Majors’s doorway to a nearby stairwell where they found Smith lying on the floor.

He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Major brothers and Whitney remained inside the apartment until the police entered with a search warrant. Police said they found the gun that was used to kill Smith broken into three pieces hidden around the apartment.

Trevon Major faces up to 25 years in state prison for the manslaughter charge and up to 15 years for the weapon possession charge. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 30.

The cases against Vance Major and Timothy Whitney are still pending.

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