Brooklyn, NY – A smiling Lee Woods was led away Wednesday afternoon to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Woods is the last defendant to be convicted in the July 2007 shooting death of NYPD officer Russel Timoshenko.

Moments after being sentenced to life without parole plus 65 years, he looked back at his fiance sitting in the audience and cracked a big smile as he was led away. Woods’ attorney said later that the killer hopes to marry while behind bars.

In passing sentence, Brooklyn Administrative Judge Abraham Gerges noted that Woods has shown no remorse. Prosecutors said Woods drove a car that was routinely stopped, triggering the violence that night in Crown Heights.

The following statement was released by Kings County DA Hynes:  

Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced the sentencing of Lee Woods, 31, to Life Without Parole for the murder of Police Officer Russell Timoshenko and the attempted murder of his partner, Office Herman Yan.  He was sentenced today before Justice Abraham Gerges.

Woods was convicted on March 16 of Aggravated Murder, Aggravated Attempted Murder and Two Counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.  He received Life Without Parole for Aggravated Murder and 40 years to Life for Aggravated Attempted Murder to run consecutive to each other.  He also received 25 years to Life for the two weapons possession charges which will run concurrent to the sentence of Life Without Parole.  Woods was the last of three defendants charged in this case.

District Attorney Hynes said, “We’re pleased with the decision and from any perspective the family of Russell Timoshenko did get justice.”

In December 2008, co-defendant Dexter Bostic, 36, was convicted of the same charges – plus an additional count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree – and co-defendant Robert Ellis, 35, was convicted of three counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon on the Second Degree. In February Bostic was sentenced to life in prison without parole, and Ellis was sentenced to 15 years.

In the early morning hours of July 9, 2007, at the intersection of Rogers Avenue Lefferts Avenue, in Crown Heights, Timoshenko and Yan pulled over the car the defendants were driving. When the officers approached the car, both were shot, by guns fired from inside the vehicle. Timoshenko was struck in the face and died several days later. Yan was shot in the arm and recovered.

(Dov Gordon – YWN)