Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that a jury has found 23-year-old Jamarr Rainey of Buffalo guilty, as charged, on one count of Robbery in the First Degree, a Class “B” violent felony. The jury rendered their decision following a five-day trial on September 18, 2019.

On November 23, 2018, at approximately 5 p.m., the defendant approached the victim while she was seated in her SUV that was parked on Cornwall Avenue in the City of Buffalo. The defendant displayed a handgun and forced the victim out of the vehicle. He then ripped off her gold necklace and drove off in her SUV. The victim called police and provided a description of the suspect.

Approximately three hours later, Buffalo Police officers observed the defendant driving the stolen vehicle on Parkside Avenue. In an effort to evade police, the defendant stopped the SUV and ran from the scene. After a brief search, the defendant, who matched the description provided by the victim, was apprehended a short distance away on Woodward Avenue. Officers found the gold necklace in the defendant’s jacket pocket.

Rainey faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced by Acting State Supreme Court Justice Sheila A. DiTullio on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. He was remanded without bail.

DA Flynn commends Officers Courtney Tripp and Trevor Sheehan of the Buffalo Police Department for their work in the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Colin X. Fitzgerald and Lauren Nash of the DA’s Felony Trials Bureau.