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According to DA Brown, Frank Sestak was murdered on Feb. 8, 1990. Moments after Sestak pulled over on the westbound shoulder of the Grand Central Parkway near 68th Avenue, Smith fired a single shot from a revolver striking him in the back of the head.
By Forum Staff
A former Manhattan resident has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the 1990 execution style murder of an acquaintance. District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced that 60-year-old Kevin Smith, 60, formerly of Lexington Avenue in New York City, shot his victim, who was in the driver’s seat in the back of the head as he was seated behind the victim. Smit fired directly into the man’s head and then hopped out of the vehicle and fired several more shots into the dying man’s body.
“For more than 25 years, justice eluded the family of the victim, but now they can rest easy knowing that the cold-hearted killer of their loved one will likely spend the rest of his days locked behind bars. The defendant with ruthless calculation and precision fired a single shot into the back of the victim’s head. But that wasn’t enough. He had to make sure the dying man would not survive, so he jumped from the back seat of the car and fired several more shots into the man’s body. The sentenced delivered by the Court is more than warranted in this case.”
Smith faced a week-long trial last November, and was found guilty of second-degree murder. Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak, who presided at trial, sentenced Smith late last week.
Trial testimony, revealed that the defendant was seated in the back of a Dodge station wagon being driven by the victim, 45-year-old Frank Sestak. A third man, David Hammerstone, 47, sat in the front passenger seat of the car next to the victim. Moments after Mr. Sestak pulled over on the westbound shoulder of the Grand Central Parkway near 68th Avenue, the defendant fired a single shot from a revolver striking the victim in the back of the head. Smith then got out of the vehicle and moved to stand beside the driver’s side door and fired several more times hitting Mr. Sestak in the neck, head and shoulder. The bullets penetrated the victim’s skull, brain, spine and lungs and he died from these injuries. District Attorney Brown continued, according to trial records, the third man in the vehicle, Hammerstone also shot the victim and in October 2016, he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and is currently serving 4 to 12 years in prison.
