OSWEGO – Yesterday, April 15, 2021 an Oswego County Jury convicted Thomas Schrader of Oswego, New York, of both Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and Assault in the First Degree, the two offenses for which he was indicted.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred in the City of Oswego on October 26, 2018. The prosecution alleged that Schrader intentionally shot the victim multiple times with a firearm, causing injuries that left the victim paralyzed.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the two men did not know each other. The shooting occurred after the two men became involved in a physical altercation due to traffic encounter.
The Hon. Walter W. Hafner, Jr. presided over the trial, which commenced last Monday, April 5, 2021. The trial originally was scheduled to occur in April of 2020, but it was adjourned due to COVID-19. It was rescheduled for December of 2020, but it had to be adjourned again due to rising COVID-19 infections at that time. Schrader was continuously incarcerated in the Oswego County Jail since his arrest.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Mark Moody was the lead prosecutor on the case. Schrader was represented by Attorney Jean Brown of Oswego.
After the trial, District Attorney Gregory Oakes thanked the jury for their service.
“Any time we go to trial, there’s a degree of uncertainty,” Oakes said. “I appreciate the hard work of the jurors and believe that justice was served by this verdict.”
District Attorney Oakes commended the Oswego City Police Department, New York State Police, and other assisting law enforcement agencies for conducting an outstanding investigation that resulted in the recovery of critical evidence, which included a dash-cam recording of the incident. Oakes also thanked the civilian witnesses who came forward and cooperated with police and prosecutors, many of whom testified at trial.
The court has not yet set a date for sentencing. The minimum sentence for these offenses is 5 years, and Schrader could receive up to 25 years in state prison.
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