Syracuse, N.Y. – A Syracuse man was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years to life in prison for his role in a 2023 home invasion murder.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys still disagree on what role the man played.
Vladimir Fernandez, 26, was convicted after trial of second-degree murder and first-degree burglary for the death of Tyus Ogletree inside the home he shared with his girlfriend and her children.
Ogletree was shot after at least one person broke into his home on 212 Sunset Ave. for an attempted robbery on Jan. 7, 2023.
While finding him responsible for the murder, a jury did not find there was evidence to prove he was the actual shooter. They acquitted him of first-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
At Fernandez’s sentencing, his attorney, Ken Christopher, said the jury’s verdict supports his theory that Fernandez was not the one who fired the fatal shot.
During the trial, prosecutor Rob Moran worked to prove Fernandez was the shooter. At the sentencing of Fernadez’s co-defendant, Junari Harold, Moran said he believed Harold was not the shooter.
Harold was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
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On Tuesday, Moran did not reiterate the claim that Fernandez was the shooter. Instead, he said that Ogletree would still be alive if it were not for Fernandez’s actions that night.
Judge Melinda McGunnigle said the evidence made it clear Fernandez was, at least in part, responsible for the murder.
“It’s abundantly clear that you were involved in this,” McGunnigle said. “It really doesn’t matter if you were the shooter or not.”
McGunnigle sentenced him to the maximum prison time allowed under law.
Before the sentencing, Ogletree’s father, Wilson Ogletree, was allowed to address the court. His mother, Tracy Ogletree, did not speak at Fernandez’s sentence but gave poignant remarks at Harold’s sentencing.
Related Article: Mom recounts the night her son was killed by Syracuse teen: ‘Part of us died with our son’
Wilson Ogletree told the court that his son was his world. He said that he will always hold anger for what was taken away from him too soon.
He told the court that he and his son bonded deeply over their love for football and all things sports. He joked that his son, a Giants fan, was always getting into it with his Dophins-loving father.
Wilson Ogletree said that he will miss his son’s hugs, which would lift his father off the ground.
He also explained how deeply his son’s girlfriend’s children have been affected by the murder.
The children were inside the home when the shooting happened. In a 911 call played for the jury at trial, the children can be heard screaming in the background.
Now, one of the children cannot look at a photo of Tyus Ogletree without being overwhelmed with tears.
Several of Tyus Ogletree’s loved ones cried quietly as his father addressed the court.
“Tyus was not just my son,” Wilson Ogletree said. “Tyus is my best friend.”
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Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com.
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