Seaman announces murder conviction

Submitted by the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office

Niagara County District Attorney Brian D. Seaman announced that Shaquan Gibson, age 49, of Niagara Falls, was sentenced to a combined 65 years to life, the maximum possible sentence, for his conviction of the murder of 24-year-old Cyjear Betton in May of 2022, in Niagara Falls, and related crimes. Gibson was sentenced to 25 years to life for the murder, 25 years for his conviction of assault in the first degree for shooting another individual, and 15 years for possessing an illegal handgun.

County Court Judge Caroline Wojtaszek imposed the sentences and ordered that they be served consecutively.

“The Niagara Falls Police Department conducted an excellent investigation,” Seaman said. “The evidence they compiled allowed my prosecutors to present to the jury, in an extremely compelling fashion, how this individual hunted down a young man and executed him over a petty debt. This sentence is well deserved. It ensures that the defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison.”

The case was prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney Doreen Hoffmann and Grand Jury Bureau Chief Maria Stoelting.