Michael Conley, currently accused of perpetrating a severe home invasion that took place in December, was led into the 120th Precinct by NYPD personnel in St. George on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Conley, aged 29, and a resident of the 500 block on Bay Street in Stapleton, has owned up to his crimes through a guilty plea in this severe case. The court has set his sentencing for February 24, where he is expected to receive a 10-year jail term for his part in the dreadful event that occurred on December 18, 2023.
The incident saw Conley admitting to his guilt before Judge Alexander Jeong; he confessed to charges of first-degree burglary and third-degree attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance to bring closure to the case. On a related note, his three accomplices in this armed theft are currently incarcerated on Rikers Island, facing a myriad of felony charges in the state Supreme Court, located in St. George. These alleged co-participants have been identified as Roland Knight, aged 32, of the 500 block of Bay Street, Stapleton, Elliot Knight, aged 29 of Boyd Street, Stapleton, and Luthman Sefu, aged 32, of Stanley Avenue in New Brighton.
The chilling event unfolded past the stroke of midnight when four men, clad in dark attire and hidden behind masks, forcefully entered the residence. CCTV footage captured these men lurking up the two-story house’s hallway and into the bedrooms. Here, a woman aged 33, her daughter, just 5 years old, her 4-year-old son, and their 54-year-old nanny laid innocently asleep.
Unbeknownst to them, these criminals demanded the mother to hand over money and jewelry in an apparent targeted robbery, according to official reports. All this while, the woman’s husband was not present in the house. The mother was physically assaulted by one of these invaders with a pistol while they went through the house for cash, as reported by the prosecuting body.
Amid the terrifying ordeal, another culprit forcibly led her injured daughter and their nanny into the room. Authorities reported that the daughter suffered a head injury during the event. In the subsequent days, the affected family was put under constant surveillance by a Jewish community watch group named Shmira.
In a deeper dive about Conley, it was found that he has a disturbing history of numerous violent felonies. Also, it was discovered that seven ongoing cases were in progress for Conley on Staten Island at the time he admitted his guilt in this heinous crime.
Conley’s charges were a result of various incidents, including possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intention to distribute, assault, and the illicit use of a motor vehicle. Just weeks before this shocking home invasion, Luthman had accepted guilt on charges stemming from a 2022 drug sweep aimed at individuals affiliated with a local set of the Bloods active in the New Brighton area.
Elliot Knight, as per court records, was dealing with an unrelated ongoing drug trafficking case this week. It has been observed over the years that local affiliates of national gangs and groups of youth operating in diverse localities are often connected to armed heists and drug dealings that take place on Staten Island.
District Attorney Michael E. McMahon expressed his strong views following Conley’s admittance of guilt. He stated, ‘Michael Conley was part and parcel of an unimaginably violent home invasion, causing a communal outcry while leaving numerous victims in its wake. His gruesome, recidivist criminal acts demanded the sternest of punishments—a solid decade behind bars,’ McMahon asserted.
He applauded the NYPD, expressing ‘I laud our comrades at the NYPD for their meticulous investigation, which has enabled this hazardous offender to be brought to justice.’ His statements echoed the severity of the situation and the determination to bring such culprits in front of law enforcement’s eyes.