Opening statements slated for Thursday
Opening statements are scheduled to be delivered Thursday morning in the Rensselaer County Court murder trial of a Cohoes man accused of killing 11year-old Ayshawn Davis in a 2020 drive-by shooting.
Jahquay Brown, 22, will be on trial for a single count of second-degree murder for allegedly firing a .40caliber handgun multiple times at 11:38 p.m., Sept. 13, 2020 into a crowd of people standing outside 2266 Old Sixth Ave., Troy, resulting in the death of Ayshawn, according to the indictment.
Brown’s multihour interview by Troy police detectives is expected to be a major piece of evidence in the case. Judge Jennifer Sober rejected defense motions in May that wanted to toss out Brown’s statements to the detectives on Sept. 23 and 24, 2020.
Sober also ruled that the identification of Brown was properly conducted and that evidence seized through seven search warrants should not be suppressed.
Police seized a handgun and a vehicle when they arrested Brown at his residence at 324 Saratoga St., Cohoes.
A 12-member jury and three alternate jurors were selected Tuesday and Wednesday.
Two jurors were seated Tuesday with the remaining 10 jurors and three alternates picked Wednesday.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Hauf is prosecuting the case, while defense attorney Rob Molloy represents Brown.
The homicide of Ayshawn not only shook residents in the city of Troy but was felt across the Capital Region. The upbeat 11-yearold was known as a caring, ambitious youth who was eager to help others. He became known for working at Jimmy’s Pizzeria at 475 Fifth Ave. in Lansingburgh where owner Tony Buchanan has signs hanging in the windows in memory of Ayshawn. The Old Sixth Avenue neighborhood where Ayshawn died is now a quiet street just north of downtown Troy. However, in 2015, its basketball courts were considered the turf of the Young Gunnerz gang and had become increasingly violent and the scene of drug sales. A major law enforcement operation at that time led to the arrest of eight Young Gunnerz and 12 associates.
The city of Troy also upped police presence in the area and reconfigured the streets to make the area safer. The fatal drive-by shooting in 2020 was a shock.