(WNY News Now) – Buffalo, NY – Jonathan Whitsett, 39, of Buffalo, was sentenced this morning to 35 years to life in prison for the fatal shooting of William P. Cobb, III, in June 2022. Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced the sentence before State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller.
On the night of June 18, 2022, at approximately 11:40 p.m., Whitsett shot Cobb inside Whitsett’s parked vehicle near Manhattan Avenue in Buffalo. Cobb, 36, was later transported to ECMC in another private vehicle, where he succumbed to his injuries.
In May 2024, after a trial lasting over six days, a jury found Whitsett guilty of Murder in the Second Degree (Class “A-II” felony) and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class “C” violent felony). The jury deliberated for about five hours before delivering a unanimous verdict on all counts.
“I hope that the family of the victim feels that justice has been served,” said Acting DA Keane. “This defendant has been convicted of all counts and received the maximum sentence on the murder charge plus an additional ten years for possession of an illegal gun.”
The investigation was led by Detective Adam Stephany, Detective Mark Constantino, Detective Michelle Palamara, Lieutenant Mark Goodspeed, and Officer Brendan Barren of the Buffalo Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Chief Eugene T. Partridge, III, of the Major Crimes Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Kevin R. Brown of the Felony Trials Bureau.
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