SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. — A Pennsylvania man has been convicted of murder for fatally shooting a man during a backyard party in Amityville, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Wednesday.
Paulin Cerisier, 29, was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, following a trial before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei.
According to trial evidence, on July 18, 2021, around 2:50 a.m., Cerisier drove to Amityville and entered a backyard gathering. He approached the victim, 41-year-old Maresse Dickerson-Stevenson, who was the uncle of Cerisier’s ex-girlfriend, and shot him in the left shoulder without provocation. The victim died shortly after the shooting.
“With this verdict, justice has now been served,” District Attorney Tierney said in a statement. “I thank the jury, law enforcement, and our prosecution team for their diligent work in securing this outcome.”
Arrest and sentencing details
Cerisier was arrested nearly three years after the shooting. On July 15, 2024, members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad located and apprehended him at a hotel in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
He now faces up to 25 years to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 15. Cerisier is represented by attorney Christopher Gioe.
The prosecution team included Assistant District Attorneys Dena Rizopoulos and Raquel Tisi, with the investigation conducted by Suffolk County Homicide Detectives Walter Sosnowski and David Gelsomino.
