SCDA: Schenectady man convicted of murder

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Schenectady man has been convicted of multiple charges in connection to a murder case, according to the Schenectady County District Attorney's Office. Anthony Romero, 26, was found guilty of second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence.

Romero was convicted of murdering Treavine Tate with an illegally owned handgun near Hulett Street in Schenectady on May 30, 2022. His arrest was announced back in November of 2022.

The District Attorney's Office stated that the incident was caught on surveillance video, showing Romero and Tate engaging in a verbal dispute when Romero suddenly drew a pistol on a visibly unarmed Tate. The rest of the video showed Tate attempting to walk away before Romero pursues him, proceeding to shoot Tate repeatedly.

Romero pled not guilty at his arraignment on December 20, 2022. He testified at his trial, admitting to shooting Tate, but claiming the act was in self-defense, a claim which was rejected by the jury.

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney stated “Assistant District Attorney Mike Nobles did an excellent job in explaining to the jury the defense of justification including all of the reasons it did not apply in this case: Romero did not appear to be afraid on the video, he was not in imminent danger by the unarmed Mr. Tate, Romero was the initial aggressor by pulling his pistol and pointing it at Tate; and Romero had a duty to retreat which he could have easily done. Mr. Romero killed this young man on his 21st birthday out of jealousy and malice.”

Romero is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1 in Schenectady County Court. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life for the murder charge, a maximum of 15 years for each weapon charge, and a maximum sentence of two to four years for the tampering with evidence charge.