A South Jamaica man appeared in court this week for the first time since being arraigned on homicide charges in the shooting death of his father—an act Queens District Attorney Richard Brown called “totally incomprehensible.”
Anthony Guyton, 37, has been remanded to the custody of the city Department of Correction after being charged last week with second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
According to Brown, on the night of Aug. 19, Guyton pumped a single shot from a 9mm handgun into the chest of his father, Bruce Langley, 55, as Langley sat in his car just a block away from Guyton’s 143rd Street home. The Astoria resident was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Just moments following the shooting, police on patrol in the area saw Guyton holding a 9mm handgun as he stood next to his own car, which was near his father’s. Guyton allegedly obeyed the officers’ order to drop the weapon and was taken into custody.
Guyton’s attorney, Peter Muccini, did not return a request seeking comment.
“The defendant is accused of patricide—taking the life of his own father,” said Brown, who has been the Queens DA for nearly 25 years. “The 55-year-old victim was seated in his vehicle when the defendant allegedly fired a single shot to the man’s chest. The alleged actions of the defendant are totally incomprehensible.”
By Michael Cusenza
