June 5, 2026. A Hempstead man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting 39-year-old Maurice Sinclair Thomas during a late-night card game in a Hempstead parking lot in September 2024, closing out a case that ran from a fugitive manhunt in Detroit to a guilty plea in Nassau County Court.
What Happened
Kane Moore, 32, of Hempstead, was sentenced on June 5, 2026, to 25 years in state prison — followed by five years of post-release supervision — for shooting and killing Maurice Sinclair Thomas, 39, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly’s office.
Prosecutors said that on September 21, 2024, at approximately 1:00 a.m., Moore, Thomas and a group of friends were playing cards in the rear parking lot of 134 Yale Street in Hempstead. An argument broke out between Moore and Thomas. According to the District Attorney’s office, Moore pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and shot Thomas once in the left side.
Thomas was taken to NYU Langone Long Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:37 a.m. Moore fled the scene.
“A disagreement ended in bloodshed when Kane Moore shot and killed Maurice Sinclair in a senseless act of violence and anger,” DA Donnelly said. “The safety of our communities depends on keeping guns off our streets and out of the hands of violent individuals like Moore.”
Case Timeline
This case stretched across roughly 21 months — from the overnight shooting in 2024 to the prison sentence in 2026. Here is how it unfolded, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office and contemporaneous local reporting:
- September 21, 2024 — ~1:00 a.m.: Moore, Thomas and friends are playing cards in the rear parking lot of 134 Yale Street in Hempstead. An argument escalates and Moore shoots Thomas once in the left side with a semi-automatic handgun.
- September 21, 2024 — 1:37 a.m.: Thomas is pronounced dead at NYU Langone Long Island Hospital. Moore flees the scene and leaves New York.
- October 21, 2024: Moore is arrested in Detroit, Michigan, by the Detroit Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.
- October 31, 2024: Moore is extradited back to Nassau County to face prosecution.
- November 1, 2024: Moore is arraigned on a grand jury indictment charging second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Prosecutors say he faces up to 40 years to life if convicted.
- January 6, 2026: Moore pleads guilty before Nassau County Court Judge Caryn Fink to Manslaughter in the First Degree (a Class B violent felony) and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (a Class D violent felony).
- June 5, 2026: Moore is sentenced to 25 years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
The Investigation and Capture
After the shooting, Moore did not remain in the area. Prosecutors said he fled the scene and ultimately left the state for Detroit, Michigan, where he was tracked down roughly a month later.
On October 21, 2024, members of the Detroit Police Department and the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested Moore. He was extradited back to Nassau County on October 31, 2024, ten days after his capture, to face the charges in New York.
When he was first arraigned in November 2024, Moore — then reported as 30 years old — faced the top charge of second-degree murder along with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. At that stage prosecutors said he faced a maximum of up to 40 years to life in prison. The case later resolved through a guilty plea to reduced charges in January 2026.
About Maurice Sinclair Thomas
Maurice Sinclair Thomas was 39 years old. According to prosecutors, he was among the group of friends gathered to play cards in the Yale Street parking lot when the argument with Moore turned deadly. Some coverage of the case has described Thomas and Moore as friends, underscoring how an ordinary social gathering ended in a fatal shooting.
Thomas was rushed to NYU Langone Long Island Hospital but could not be saved; he was pronounced dead less than 40 minutes after the shooting.
Charges and Sentence
Moore pleaded guilty on January 6, 2026, before Nassau County Court Judge Caryn Fink, to:
- Manslaughter in the First Degree — a Class B violent felony
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree — a Class D violent felony
On June 5, 2026, he was sentenced to 25 years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Stefanie Palma of the County Court Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Homicide Bureau Chief Michelle Lewisohn and Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Daryl Levy. Moore was represented by defense attorney Mindy Plotkin, Esq.
Why This Matters for Long Island
This was not a traffic incident, but it belongs in the Long Island crime blotter because it captures a pattern that drives gun violence across Nassau and Suffolk: a personal dispute, an illegal handgun within reach, and a fatal escalation in seconds.
Prosecutors framed the case as part of a broader push to keep illegal firearms off Long Island streets. The DA’s office emphasized that the confrontation began as nothing more than a card game among friends — and that the presence of a loaded handgun turned a disagreement into a homicide.
For Hempstead residents, the resolution closes a case that began with a manhunt and ended with one of the longer manslaughter sentences handed down in a Nassau County argument-shooting case. For readers tracking violent crime in the area, it is also a reminder that many homicide cases take well over a year to move from arrest to sentence.
You can follow related cases on our Hempstead town page, the shootings category and the homicide category of the crime blotter.
Sources
- LongIsland.com — Hempstead Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Fatal 2024 Shooting
- Nassau County District Attorney — Hempstead Man Pleads Guilty to 2024 Shooting Death of Man in Parking Lot
- Long Island Press — Hempstead man pleads guilty to 2024 murder
- Patch (Garden City) — Hempstead Man Faces Murder Charge For Sept. Shooting: DA
- Shore News Network — Hempstead Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Fatal Parking Lot Shooting
- Hoodline — Hempstead Card Game Turns Deadly, Shooter Gets 25 Years