Man found guilty of aggravated murder in death of police officer

Wesley Molina-Cirino was found guilty late Thursday of killing Utica police Officer Thomas Lindsey almost one year ago.

The jury had entered its 13th hour of deliberation before coming to a verdict shortly after 10 p.m. in Oneida County Court. It was met with shouts, tears and hugs among Lindsey's family, friends and fellow officers.

"We got him," said state police Investigator Samuel Serrano, who interviewed Molina-Cirino shortly before his June 6 arrest.

Molina-Cirino, who was charged with aggravated murder, faces life in prison without the chance of parole when he is sentenced May 22.

Lindsey was killed during a traffic stop last April 12 on the 1100 block of Neilson Street in Corhnhill.

Jurors deliberated over a two-day period. The trial began March 10.

The jury earlier Thursday told Judge Barry Donalty they could not decide whether Molina-Cirino was guilty of killing Lindsey. However, Donalty told the jurors to continue their deliberations in an attempt to reach a verdict.

During their deliberations, jurors spent more than five hours viewing the video-recorded June 6 interrogation of Molina-Cirino by Serrano.

Prosecutor Assistant District Attorney Laurie Lisi argued during trial that the many inconsistencies in Molina-Cirino's story revealed he knew too much about Lindsey's shooting - unless he was the shooter himself.

Molina-Cirino initially told police that someone named Indio told him Jose "Mojon" Cirino was Lindsey's killer.

But during the June 6 interrogation, Molina-Cirino admitted for the first time that he witnessed Lindsey get shot April 12, 2007.

Then as the interview went on, Molina-Cirino placed himself closer and closer to Lindsey's shooting on Neilson Street until he finally told Serrano that he was standing right behind Lindsey's patrol vehicle.

Still, Molina-Cirino always maintained that Jose Cirino was Lindsey's killer, not him.

In the recorded interview, Molina-Cirino could be seen eerily demonstrating for Serrano how he watched Jose Cirino sneak up behind Lindsey and shoot him in the head.

When Serrano testified during the trial, he choked up as he watched this portion of the video. Several police officers sitting in the courtroom also appeared to become teary-eyed while the re-enactment played.

Prosecutors argued that Jose Cirino did not shoot Lindsey, and that Molina-Cirino's reenacment left no doubt as to Molina-Cirino's guilt.

Molina-Cirino's defense attorney, Rebecca Wittman, however, suggested that police zeroed in on Molina-Cirino as their prime suspect based on the assumption that a key witness was telling the truth: Sammy Rivera.

Rivera was driving the red Neon Lindsey stopped around 9:16 p.m. on the 1100 block of Neilson Street shortly before he was shot, according to his testimony.

Rivera later named Molina-Cirino as the shooter.

But during the trial, Wittman emphasized her belief that Rivera was lying, that he was not the driver, and that he was not alone in the car when Lindsey pulled him over.

Wittman suggested there was a conspiracy to kill Lindsey, and that bred too many unanswered questions surrounding Lindsey's death.

If the jury could not be certain about how Lindsey was killed or whether anyone else was involved, Wittman questioned how jurors could not have any reasonable doubt as to Molina-Cirino's role.

Prosecutors said there was no evidence of a conspiracy. Still, one of the people Molina-Cirino claims was involved in the shooting was never called to testify -- a person named Indio.

Nevertheless, prosecutors noted that Molina-Cirino would have had his own motive to target Lindsey.

Lindsey had arrested Molina-Cirino on two prior occasions, and Molina-Cirino said police were always harassing him whenever he had money and drugs in his pocket.

And at one point, prosecutors recalled, Molina-Cirino said one of these days he may be forced to shoot a police officer.

Observer-Dispatch