QUEENS, N.Y. — A Queens grand jury has indicted a Jamaica man for the 2018 fatal shooting of party promoter Frank Synder outside a Woodhaven bar, District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday.
Johnathan Rice, 43, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Synder, a rapper and promoter known as “Hollywood Play,” who was shot outside the Tavern Lounge on Jamaica Avenue while hosting a birthday event.
District Attorney Katz emphasized the persistence of investigators in solving the case. “My office does not give up on cases,” Katz said in a statement. “After a long-term investigation, we secured an indictment charging Johnathan Rice with the senseless 2018 murder of Frank Synder.”
Rice, a resident of 178th Street in Jamaica, was arraigned on Friday before Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder, who ordered him to return to court on November 14. If convicted, Rice faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
The charges stem from the early morning of October 7, 2018, when Synder, 35, was standing outside the Tavern Lounge with a group of people. Video surveillance captured a black sedan driving past the entrance, with multiple muzzle flashes seen coming from the front passenger window before the vehicle sped away. Synder was struck by gunfire and later died from wounds to his torso and thigh.
Investigators linked Rice to the shooting through vehicle registration records, identifying his black Lexus as matching the car seen in the surveillance footage. Cell phone records also placed Rice near the scene at the time of the crime.
The case is being handled by the Queens District Attorney’s Office in collaboration with the NYPD.
