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Press Release

Buffalo Man Indicted For Lying To A Grand Jury About A Murder Investigation

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Demetrius Lowry, a/k/a Little D, 24, of Buffalo, NY, with false declarations before the grand jury, and obstruction of justice. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul C. Parisi, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, Jaquan Sullivan was shot and killed on December 5, 2015, in the vicinity of Parkdale Avenue in Buffalo. On December 8, 2015, Lowry was interviewed by Buffalo Police Homicide detectives. In two written statements, the defendant provided details of the shooting, including the identity of the person who shot Sullivan.

On December 17, 2015, Lowry sent a text message to the Buffalo Police Confidential Tip Line stating that the information he had previously provided was “totally wrong,” and he did not know who was involved in the shooting. On February 18, 2016, detectives interviewed the defendant about the tip-line message and Lowry signed a written statement admitting that the tip-line message was not true.

On July 12, 2018, law enforcement officers assigned to the FBI interviewed the defendant once again about the shooting death of Jaquan Sullivan. Lowry gave information about the identity of the shooter which was different from the information he gave to Buffalo Police detectives on December 8, 2015.

On July 31, 2018, the defendant, while under oath and testifying in a proceeding before a Federal Grand Jury, denied writing and signing the two statements when interviewed by Buffalo Police Homicide detectives on December 8, 2015, about the death of Jaquan Sullivan. Lowry also denied writing and signing a statement on February 18, 2016, in which he admitted that the message he sent to the tip line was not true. In addition, the defendant stated that he was never interviewed by a detective on February 18. Lowry testified that he did speak with the FBI in July 2018 but stated he was not asked about the murder of Jaquan Sullivan.   

The defendant was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was released on conditions.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard.

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.

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Updated May 24, 2019