Crown Heights man sentenced for deadly 2020 sneaker sale
Hakeem Smith, 31, will serve life behind bars without the possibility of parole for killing Douglas Young, of Georgia, torching his remains and stealing 10 pairs of shoes worth around $25,000.
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A Crown Heights man who carried out a deadly shooting during a high-end sneaker sale in 2020 learned his fate on Thursday, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez says.
Hakeem Smith, 31, will serve life behind bars without the possibility of parole for killing Douglas Young, of Georgia, torching his remains and stealing 10 pairs of shoes worth around $25,000.
Prosecutors say the pair planned to meet near the Barclays Center on Feb. 6, 2020, to carry out the sneaker transaction, but Smith changed the meet-up point to a remote location in Red Hook.
According to court documents, Young arrived in his rental car at 621 Court St. and showed Smith the 10 pairs of sneakers. In return, Smith took out a gun and shot Young three times in the head.
Smith then grabbed all 10 pairs of shoes - including highly sought-after models of Nike Dunks and Jordan 1s - and took off.
Two days later, Smith returned to the scene of the crime, where Young remained lifeless in the driver's seat of his rental car. Smith lit the vehicle on fire in an attempt to cover up the killing.
Prosecutors say Smith went even further to cover his tracks - he offered to help Young’s family by filing a missing persons report. Smith claimed his transaction with the man he killed never happened and that he watched Young drive away from the Barclays Center to meet someone else.
“The defendant then took elaborate steps to cover up his heinous crime,” said Gonzalez.
According to the DA’s Office, Smith was arrested over seven months after the killing.
He was convicted of first-degree murder and third-degree arson last month.
“Today's sentence holds this defendant accountable for taking the life of Douglas Young, an innocent man who was senselessly and deliberately killed by someone he knew and trusted,” said Gonzalez.
