Hassan Winston, 24, of Wyncote (Cheltenham Township), was sentenced to 25-years-to-life in state prison for fatally shooting 24-year-old Alonza Georgia during a gunpoint robbery in Harlem in March 2023, the New York County District Attorney announced.
Winston was convicted in July with Zaire Allen, 21, of Philadelphia, on several counts including Murder in the Second Degree, Robbery in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, among other charges.
“Zaire Allen and Hassan Winston have been held accountable for murdering Alonza Georgia in a brutal act of gun violence driven by greed,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “Gun violence devastates families and causes deep and profound trauma in our communities. I hope the resolution of this case offers Mr. Georgia’s family members, who remain devastated at such an insurmountable loss, a step toward the peace and healing they deserve.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, Winston and Allen were friends and traveled from Philadelphia to New York City on March 26, 2023. At approximately 9:00pm, they approached Mr. Georgia in the lobby of his apartment building in NYCHA’s Saint Nicholas Houses near West 131st Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. The defendants both wore face masks and brandished firearms. Each defendant held their firearm up to Mr. Georgia’s head, the DA said.
The defendants then pushed Mr. Georgia out of the lobby and to the front of the building. Mr. Georgia fell to the ground and Winston fired his gun at him. While Mr. Georgia was still lying on the ground, the defendants robbed him, including the cash that had fallen to the ground during the struggle. Allen then fired a shot at Mr. Georgia’s torso.
The pair fled the scene in an Enterprise Box Truck. Mr. Georgia was transported to Harlem Hospital and on March 27, 2023, he died from the gunshot wound to his torso.
On March 30, 2023, NYPD detectives executed a search warrant at Winston’s apartment and recovered a firearm and clothing he was seen wearing during the shooting. Allen fled to Baltimore, Maryland, following Winston’s arrest in March 2023. Allen was arrested in April 2023. Officers executing a search warrant at the home where he was staying and recovered a firearm and clothing he was seen wearing the day of the shooting.
DA Bragg thanked the Cheltenham Pennsylvania Police Department and the NYPD, particularly Detective Daniel Wadolowski of the 32nd Precinct Detective Squad and Detective Edward Stackpole of the Homicide and Shooting Enhancement Team.
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