Gowanus grudge: Brooklyn man gets 20 years for love triangle killing

April 12, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

The Kings County Supreme Court at 320 Jay St., where Justice Vincent Del Giudice sentenced Rudolph Riley to five years of post-release supervision for the fatal shooting of his romantic rival. Brooklyn Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese

Share this:

A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following a fatal shooting in 2020 that left a romantic rival dead.

The incident, which took place during a confrontation at an apartment in the Gowanus Houses, resulted from an altercation between the man and his ex-girlfriend. The case concluded with the man’s guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter earlier this year.

Rudolph Riley, a 32-year-old from Brownsville, was identified as the perpetrator of this tragic event. In addition to the prison term, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice sentenced Riley to five years of post-release supervision. The sentencing comes after Riley’s admission of guilt on February 23, 2024.

“The defendant’s guilty plea and today’s sentence hold him accountable for a senseless act that took the life of an innocent man,” said District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “In Brooklyn, we are deeply committed to ending this type of violence. I commend the NYPD for swiftly apprehending this defendant so that he could be brought to justice.”

According to court documents, on March 26, 2020, at 3:45 p.m., Riley was involved in an argument with his ex-girlfriend at her residence at the Gowanus Houses.

The altercation escalated when Cory Turner, the ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend, attempted to intervene. Turner was shot by Riley with a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun, leading to fatal injuries that resulted in his death at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.

Following the shooting, Riley fled the scene but was apprehended shortly after by a detective from the 76th Precinct, who recognized him based on a description broadcasted over police radio. During the arrest, Riley inadvertently dropped the weapon, wrapped in a red bandana, which was later matched to the crime through ballistic analysis.