A New York judge told a convicted murderer to “shut up” during his last words to the court before being sent away to prison, calling the defendant a “narcissist” and rebuking his lack of remorse for killing his estranged wife in front of her three children two years ago.
State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller on Dec. 20 handed down the maximum sentence of 25 years to life to 47-year-old Adam R. Bennefield for second-degree murder, then kicked Bennefield out of the courtroom and apologized to the family for his disrespect.
The jury found Bennefield guilty of murdering Ke’Aira Bennefield, also known as Ke’Aira S. Hudson, who was brutally gunned down as she took her children to school on Oct. 5, 2022.
The jury also convicted Bennefield of aggravated criminal contempt and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
“This was a callous, cold-blooded murder committed by a defendant who intentionally shot his estranged wife in the head in the presence of her three small children,” acting Erie County DA Mike Keane said in a statement after the conviction. “I commend the victim’s daughter for having the strength and courage to testify against her mother’s killer.”
Afterward, the judge expressed regret that he was barred from handing down a harsher punishment, stating that while he wished he could sentence Bennefield to life without the possibility of parole, he was constrained by the law.
“I will give him the maximum because if anybody deserves it, he does,” Boller said.
The fatal attack occurred around 8:30 a.m., when Bennefield rammed his pickup truck into Ke’Aira’s car near Richlawn and Shawnee avenues in Buffalo.
After the crash, Adam Bennefield walked up to the woman’s car, smashed the driver’s side window and opened fire with a shotgun as the children watched in horror. Ke’Aira Bennefield, a 30-year-old mother of three, was dead instantly from a shotgun blast to the head.
During the trial, Colleen Curtin Gable, senior trial counsel for the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, told the jury that Bennefield had been sitting in his pickup truck on Shawnee Avenue, recording videos of himself in the hours leading up to Hudson’s murder. From approximately 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., he captured footage complaining about how Hudson was allegedly mistreating him.
His phone, containing the recordings, was later discovered in his abandoned pickup truck. Cellular data also placed the phone on Shawnee Avenue at the time of the murder, Curtin Gable revealed.
When given the chance to speak, Adam Bennefield showed no remorse, prompting a tense exchange with the judge that left Bennefield on the losing end. Local NBC affiliate WGRZ shared a video of the confrontation.
“I agree that we all lost someone special,” Bennefield began, complaining about alleged bias in the trial and claiming prosecutors withheld evidence. “I loved my wife and she’s gone.”
Adam Bennefield went on for a few minutes, saying, “This has been a nightmare for everyone. Including the DA that likes to suppress evidence.” Then he began to make one final point, “I don’t want to be here. I’m forced to be here to fight these charges.” That was enough for Judge Boller abruptly cut him off, shouting: “You’re here because a jury convicted you of brutally killing your wife.”
Bennefield then spoke out of turn, protesting that he was mistreated by the court and convicted by an all-white jury, prompting Boller to explode, threatening to cut his microphone off.
At point Bennefield himself scolded the judge. “Interrupting me while I’m talking. I don’t interrupt you. So why do you keep interrupting me?”
“You’re a narcissist,” the judge rebuffed. “I’ve heard enough from you.”
Bennefield boldly persisted, trying to get the last word in and demanding that Boller “hear” him out.
“Hear me out: Shut up!” the judge fumed.
Ke’Aira’s 12-year-old daughter, the eldest of the children, testified during the three-day trial, according to the Buffalo News. She had been riding in the front passenger seat next to her mom when Bennefield’s truck appeared and the terror began.
She told the jury that her mother had been wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of her death, possibly anticipating an attack by Bennefield, but ultimately it did not save her.
Bennefield was arrested one week after the shooting by members of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force, who found the suspect riding through Buffalo on a pink bicycle.
The jury deliberated for just one hour before convicting Bennefield, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office stated in a press release.
Prosecutors asked the judge to deliver the maximum sentence.
“He deserves every minute of it,” said Erie County Assistant District Attorney Colleen Curtin Gable. “He did not learn his lesson from his conviction in 2000. He takes no responsibility for his actions whatsoever.”
Adam Bennefield had a history of violence against women, having served a 15-year prison sentence for the armed kidnapping of an ex-girlfriend and another woman long before he killed Ke’Aira, according to CBS affiliate WIVB.
