Man pleads guilty in fatal 2021 shooting of New Rochelle cab driver
The man accused of fatally shooting a New Rochelle cab driver more than two years ago pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree murder.
Percell Ross Blakely, 54, admitted killing Andres Valenzuela during an attempted robbery early on Oct. 14, 2021, as the 62-year-old cabbie was parking near Juliano's catering hall following his shift.
Acting state Supreme Court Judge James McCarty promised Blakely the sentence offered by Westchester prosecutors, 20 years to life in prison, the minimum for first-degree murder.
Blakely was arrested three days after the shooting when detectives tracked him down to a Brooklyn housing project. As he emerged from a building, he opened fire and a New Rochelle detective fired back. Neither was hit and Blakely was taken into custody without further incident.
He was then charged in federal court in Brooklyn with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is expected to plead guilty to that in the coming weeks.
At the time of the shootings, Blakely, a resident of Covington, Virginia, was wanted in Virginia on a sex trafficking charge and in Connecticut on an attempted murder charge. He is also a suspect in a New Haven shooting where the victim later died. It was not clear whether that case was related to the attempted murder warrant.
The defendant gave his name in court as Percell Ross and has also gone by other names, including Percy Lamont Ross. Although the plea deal had been worked out between prosecutors and his lawyer, Andrew Restivo, the defendant hesitated at various points as McCarty asked him questions to establish that the plea was voluntary.
After Assistant District Attorney Brian Bendish said prosecutors had discussions with federal and Connecticut prosecutors, Blakely expressed concern that he had to take a "leap of faith" that he might not get additional time in Virginia.
When McCarty asked if he admitted killing Valenzuela as part of a robbery, Blakely again hesitated. Valenzuela's daughter sat in the gallery, watching the defendant intensely, and nodded slightly when he finally sighed deeply and answered 'Yeah'.
The plea deal does not formally involve any of the other cases, only promising that if Blakely is sentenced last in Westchester, McCarty would not impose a consecutive sentence. But Blakely is likely to be sentenced first in Westchester — the judge scheduled sentencing for April 18 — as he has not even been formally charged in either of the other states.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New Rochelle NY cab driver shooting: Man pleads guilty in death
