Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon announced today that the man who gunned down K-won Lillard outside Ciro’s Place on May 24, 2024, will serve 25 years to life in state prison.
Ulias Kornegay was sentenced by the Honorable Andra Ackerman Friday after a jury found him guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree following a March trial. Ackerman said those prison sentences would run concurrent due to a recent decision from the Appellate Division Third Department.
Kornegay was also sentenced to seven years for two separate Criminal Possession of a Weapon counts, one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, also running concurrently.
Lillard’s mother, Lea-Jay Martin, delivered a powerful victim impact statement before sentencing and detailed how the violent loss of her son has taken away her ability to enjoy life.
“I’ve cried every day since,” she said. “Nothing is ever gonna make me feel better about this. Twenty-five years or whatever, he’s still gonna be here. He’s still gonna get to see his family. But K-won isn’t. I can’t even look at my granddaughter anymore because she looks just like K-won,”
A jury of seven men and five women deliberated for less than an hour on March 13 in delivering the guilty verdict after a two-and-a-half-day trial. The prosecution team of Assistant District Attorneys Ryan Carty and Collin D’Arcy showed surveillance video footage that detailed how Kornegay stepped in front of Lillard and another man who were arguing, pulled out a gun and began firing at Lillard, who fell to the ground.
As Lillard tried to crawl for cover behind a car, Kornegay leaned over the hood of a car and shot Lillard in the face and head.
“The raw emotion that K-won’s mom showed today in court tells us just how important the work we do and the work the Albany Police do to protect everyone’s sons and daughters,” DA Kindlon said. “I think Albany is safer today because of the conviction and the sentence we received, and we’re going to continue to work hard to make our streets safer.”
Ackerman said the video proof showed that Kornegay injected himself in a verbal argument and had multiple chances to deescalate the situation.
“It’s ridiculous you claimed self-defense,” Ackerman said. “You’ve never appeared in this court to be remorseful. I believe the remorse you feel is the remorse that the video camera recorded what you did. Your actions were brutal, senseless and showed a complete disregard for human life.”
