BROOKLYN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that a 22 year-old Brooklyn man has been convicted of manslaughter in the December 2000, shooting death of his uncle.

Rasool Ashishi, of 415 East 16th Street, Brooklyn, pled guilty to 1 count of Manslaughter in the 1st degree, in the death of Abdullah Hassian, 29. Acting State Supreme Court Justice Ira R. Globerman set sentencing for Tuesday, June 3, 2003 in Part DV. Under the terms of the plea agreement Ashishi was promised a term of 18 years imprisonment.

In a videotaped confession the night of his arrest, Ashishi admitted that he took a cab from Brooklyn to the Bronx and waited for his uncle to come out of a store, at 3550 Bainbridge Avenue. Ashishi said he called his uncle’s name then fired several shots at the victim striking him once in the neck, fatally wounding him. Ashishi said he killed his uncle on the evening of December 14, 2000, to avenge the death of his brother.

The defendant said that his brother was killed in Yemin by one of his uncles and according to the defendant, it is customary to avenge the death of a family member by killing any member of the killer’s family.

Ashishi fled to Yemin after the shooting and remained there for a year. When he returned to New York, Ashishi went to a Brooklyn Precinct on an unrelated matter and was subsequently arrested for the murder of Hassian.

This case was prosecuted by Senior Trial Assistant District Attorney Bruce Birns, and Assistant District attorney Johanna Hernandez of the Domestic Violence / sex Offense Bureau.