Jan. 19, 2018 By Tara Law
A man who shot two brothers—killing one of them—in a 2011 road rage incident in Kew Gardens was convicted yesterday and faces a maximum of 50 years to life in prison, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
George Cupi, 54, of Shelton, Connecticut, was convicted of a number of charges including second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder. He will be sentenced on Feb. 5.
Cupi, according to the Queens DA, shot the men after a dispute erupted after he double parked his van on Austin Street near 84th Road on the evening of July 14, 2011.
Victim Jovanny Adames, 31, was driving along Austin Street and was blocked behind Cupi’s van. He beeped his horn a few times to get Cupi to move so he could pass. When Cupi did not move the van, Adames hopped out of his car and the two men started to argue.
Adames’ brother, Roberto Adames, 25, heard the commotion and got involved. The three men argued until Cupi drove away.
Cupi then drove back a few minutes later. He caught up with the brothers who were sitting at Eight Oaks Triangle park near the incident and pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and started shooting.
He shot Roberto Adames in the chest three times, killing him. Jovanny Adames was shot in the face and the bullet lodged in his brain, but he survived.
Cupi remained at large until 2015. Connecticut law enforcement arrested him after receiving an anonymous letter that said Cupi had committed a murder in Kew Gardens in 2011.
“This was a senseless shooting,” said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “The traffic dispute had ended and the defendant…instead of letting it go, he returned just minutes later to the same street. He shot both men as they sat in a park.”