Schenectady man convicted of first-degree manslaughter

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10)– A Schenectady County jury convicted a Schenectady man of manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon, and more in court on January 30. The Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office said the jury found David Ayala, 39, guilty in the shooting death of Matteo Henderson on November 23, 2022.

Henderson was killed after being shot on Odell Street around 12:30 p.m. with an illegal gun Ayala possessed. Evidence in the trial showed the homicide as retaliation for a physical fight between Ayala and Henderson.

Evidence presented in the case included footage of Ayala fleeing the scene in his girlfriend’s car, cellphone mapping showing Ayala in the area of the shooting at the time it happened, and more. Police found the getaway car in Henderson’s friend’s garage on Furman Street.

The DA’s Office said at trial, Ayala was acquitted of second-degree murder for a lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter. The jury returned with a verdict four and a half hours after deliberating.

Court officials still need to schedule a sentencing date. District Attorney Robert Carney addressed the conviction of manslaughter instead of murder, saying the jury might have concluded uncertainty in Ayala’s intent since he shot Henderson one time from a distance.

“But it will not matter in this case in terms of his sentence,” Carney said. “Because of Mr. Ayala’s extensive history of violent felonies, he qualifies as a mandatory persistent violent felon and must receive a sentence ranging from 20 to life to 25 to life, the same maximum life sentence he could have received had he been convicted of murder.”

Charges

• First-degree manslaughter
• Two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon
• Two counts of tampering with physical evidence