Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Mushagdusa R. Nankumba, 22, of Buffalo, was sentenced this morning before Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan. He received a determinate sentence of 20 years in prison followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.
During the early morning of Saturday, April 17, 2021, the defendant caused the death of his girlfriend by beating and strangling the victim. The crime occurred inside of a vehicle, which was parked at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park near West Parade Avenue in the City of Buffalo. After the attack, the defendant contacted a family member who called 911. Responding Buffalo Police officers found the victim, 18-year-old Larrinsha Johnson, unresponsive in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The defendant, who was 18 years old at the time of the crime, was placed under arrest. The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the victim died from asphyxia due to strangulation.
The defendant, who has remained in custody since his arrest, was found not competent to proceed following a forensic exam in August 2021. He was transferred to a secure psychiatric facility in Rochester. In June 2023, the defendant was returned to court after additional psychiatric evaluations found him competent to proceed to trial.
Nankumba pleaded guilty to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree (Class “B” violent felony). The defendant entered the guilty plea in full satisfaction of the indictment on February 14, 2025.
DA Keane commends Detective Sergeant Amy Jo Frankel, Detective Mark Costantino, retired Detective Jason Mayhook, Officer Alexander Brennan and Officer Scott Aldinger of the Buffalo Police Department for their work in this investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Justin H. Caldwell of the Homicide Bureau.