Defendants Charged in Greece Triple Murder

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced the return of a superseding indictment charging three defendants with committing a triple murder in the town of Greece on March 9, 2010. These three defendants, along with five others, had been previously charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Everardo Rodriguez, who is handling the case, stated that defendants Richard Anderson, Andrew Wright, and Aston Johnson are charged with murdering Robert Moncriffe, Mark Wisdom, and Christopher Green. Specifically, Anderson, Wright and Johnson are charged with possessing and discharging firearms and murdering the three victims in furtherance of a marijuana conspiracy. The defendants are also charged with intentionally killing the three victims while engaged in the marijuana conspiracy.

The federal murder counts are subject to the death penalty. The Justice Department has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty against any of the three defendants. The decision will be made by the Attorney General of the United States after careful deliberation of all of the proof and circumstances in the case.

The superseding indictment also seeks forfeiture of the sum of $1,000,000 representing proceeds obtained from the marijuana conspiracy as well as a house in Phoenix, Arizona, three guns and $1,340 seized in the house.

“There is no more heinous crime than murder,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “When such crime is committed as part of a narcotics operation, federal law provides for the greatest potential punishment.”

The superseding indictment was brought after an investigation conducted by the Greece Police Department under the direction of Chief Todd Baxter; the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James H. Robertson; the NYS Police under the direction of Major Mark Koss; the Rochester Police Department under the direction of Chief David Moore; the U.S. Marshal’s Service under the direction of acting Marshal Bryan Matthews; the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office under the direction of District Attorney Michael Green; Monroe County Sheriff’s Department under the direction Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn; Monroe County Crime Analysis Center; United States Postal Inspection Service under the direction of Raymond Williams; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Lev Kubiak; U.S. Border Patrol under the direction of Patrol Agent in Charge Tom Pocorobba, Jr.; the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking area; Franklin County, Ohio Sheriff’s Department; Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Los Angeles Police Department.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.