Jul. 26, 2023 By Bill Parry
An Edgemere man admitted he gunned down a 22-year-old Bronx man during a marijuana deal gone bad inside Rufus King Park in Jamaica in October 2020.
Torren King, 20, of Beach 47th Street, pleaded guilty on July 25 in Queens Supreme Court to manslaughter in the first degree, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday. Additionally, King pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree in an unrelated incident that took place in Jamaica in June 2021 when he admitted to firing a gun.
According to the charges, at around 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2020, Numani Lambert, 22, and two others arrived at Rufus King Park after an arrangement had been made on Facebook to sell marijuana to a buyer who went by the online name “Pimmy Don.” As Lambert and his two companions walked in the park, one of his friends used Facebook to send messages to “Pimmy Don,” who responded that he was sending his “boys” to make the cash-for-marijuana exchange.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz went to the crime scene in Rufus King Park and discussed the investigation with a detective from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
The group of three met with two males in the park, one of whom was King. There was a dispute between the groups about money before the marijuana changed hands and when King refused to turn over the cash, Lambert and his friends turned and walked away, according to the charges. King called them back and, with Lambert directly in front of him, King pulled out a gun and said, “Now you have to give it to me.” King fired two shots at Lambert. A single bullet hit the Bronx resident in the head. EMS responded to the crime scene and rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he died three days later.
During a court-authorized search of Goode’s home, detectives from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica recovered the murder weapon, a 9mm Luger, along with nine rounds of ammunition. Goode was later identified as the would-be buyer “Pimmy Don.” Goode also sent King to rob the three and instructed Curtis to drive King to the park, wait for him to rob them and then drive him away from the scene, according to the charges.
“In broad daylight, in a public park used by children, the defendant cut a young man’s life short,” Katz said. “Our parks should be places where all who use them feel safe. We will dedicate our resources to ensuring that these public spaces are the safe refuges they are intended to be.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder indicated that he would sentence King on Oct. 3 to a determinate term of 19 years in prison for the manslaughter charge and to a determinate term of 10 years in prison on the weapon charge to be served concurrently.
Two co-defendants, Chance Goode of Jamaica and Jabari Curtis of St. Albans, in the Rufus King Park case are awaiting trial, according to the DA’s office.