Brooklyn man who shot up an East New York deli during the pandemic gets 25 years for murder

A 28-year-old from East New York was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Monday following a harrowing incident in which he opened fire inside a bustling deli, resulting in the tragic death of one man and the severe injury of another.

Marcus Worrell turned a Brooklyn deli into a murder scene on June 5, 2020, when he fatally shot 28-year-old Evon Hillman and severely wounded a 40-year-old man. Hillman’s fiancée gave birth to their son just two months later.

“The defendant showed a complete indifference to human life when he callously opened fire inside of a crowded deli, repeatedly shooting and killing one man, a soon-to-be father, and shooting and severely wounding a second man,” said District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his actions.”

The drama unfolded at 8:20 p.m. at 620 Livonia Ave., under the 3 train when Worrell shot Hillman. The second victim, standing next to Hillman, suffered massive internal damage after being shot in the stomach. 

In a bid to escape, Worrell then committed an armed robbery, stealing a motorbike at gunpoint. His run from the law ended two months later, when he was finally arrested by the NYPD on Aug. 5, 2020.

Worrell was convicted on Nov. 9, 2023 of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in front of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Donald Leo, who handed down the sentence.