(WNY News Now) – A federal jury in Buffalo has convicted Alphonso Payne, 29, on multiple charges including the murder of a federal informant, cocaine distribution, and related firearm offenses.
Between 2016 and 2019, Payne and co-defendant Gregory Hay operated a drug trafficking ring distributing cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin in the Salamanca and Olean areas. Following a law enforcement raid on May 7, 2019, suspicions arose that informant Joshua Jalovick was cooperating with authorities. On July 1, 2019, Payne and Hay lured Jalovick to a backyard in Buffalo, where Payne shot him multiple times, followed by additional gunfire from Hay, resulting in Jalovick’s death. The killing aimed to prevent Jalovick’s testimony regarding the defendants’ alleged criminal activities.
Gregory Hay was previously convicted on related narcotics and firearm charges and is awaiting sentencing. Other defendants involved in obstructing the grand jury investigation into the murder—Daeshawn Stevenson, Raejah Blackwell, Eric Brooks, and Roland Eady—have also been convicted.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Buffalo Police Department, FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office.
Sentencing for Payne is scheduled for October 27, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The convictions carry a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.
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