Jesse Outley Receives 40 Years to Life Sentence for the Heartbreaking Drive-By Killing of 11-Month-Old Dior Harris

 

Jesse Outley, a 28-year-old from Syracuse, New York, has been convicted of second-degree murder. 

This conviction is for the shooting death of 11-month-old Dior Harris in a drive-by incident that happened in April 2021.

He was also convicted of three counts of attempted murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

The tragic event happened when Dior was in the backseat of a car with her cousins while her mom were driving. 

The car was suddenly shot at, which resulted in Dior's death and injuries to the other children.

The case went to trial in May 2024. 

An Onondaga County jury took only two weeks to reach a verdict.

On August 5, 2024, Judge Gordon Cuffy sentenced Outley to 40 years to life in prison.

Jesse Outley

The Fatal Drive-By Shooting

The drive-by shooting happened on April 11, 2021.

On that fateful day, Outley was in a car with another man named Chavez Ocasio. 

The car belonged to Ocasio, and Outley was sitting in the passenger seat.

While Outley and Ocasio were in Ocasio's car, they were hit from the side by a dark-colored vehicle.

Wanting to retaliate, Outley decided to "air it out." 

This meant that he planned to shoot at the car that was responsible.

After the car hit them, it sped away, so Outley and Chavez drove around searching for it.

After driving around for a while searching for the car, Outley fired shots from the backseat of his vehicle into a dark-colored car.

He mistakenly thought it was the one that had hit them.

Tragically, this car was not the one involved in the earlier incident.

The car he opened fire on was the car Dior and her family were riding in.

Sadly, the bullets hit Dior and her cousins. 

Dior was killed, while the other two children were injured but survived.

Dior's Parents Recall the Tragic Day

Dior’s parents, Desiree N. Seymore (her mother) and Shaquail A. Harris (her father) shared their account of what happened that day.

According to them, Seymore was simply driving with their children, including Dior, when they were attacked.

Seymore recalled seeing a gun from the approaching silver car. 

By the time she realized the gun was aimed at the children in the backseat, it was already too late.

Seymore was unharmed, but the children were injured. 

Seymore also recalled the horrifying moment when she saw blood coming from one of the children’s mouths.

The other children in the car survived with injuries, but sadly, Dior lost his life.

Justice  served

Ocasio, who was driving the getaway car, later testified against Outley in court. 

He was arrested shortly after the shooting but only revealed Outley’s involvement after two years.

Chavez Ocasio

His plea deal, which reduced his sentence in exchange for his cooperation, was crucial in revealing Outley’s actions.

Ocasio described how he and Outley had been involved in a minor traffic incident.

He said it was Outley that had planned and carried out the shooting.

However, Outley’s defense argues that Ocasio and Outley, were both responsible for Dior’s death.

During the courtroom proceedings, Outley’s smirk during sentencing deeply offended Dior’s family.

This reaction came after an emotional confrontation in which Dior’s father expressed his deep grief and anger, leading to intense moments in the courtroom.

Dior's father urged the judge to impose a harsh sentence.

He conveyed the profound sorrow of losing Dior just before her first birthday.

During the sentencing, Dior's father gave a heartfelt and emotional statement, describing the daily pain of their loss: "Every day, man, me and her, dealing with this. Every single day, man."

On August 5, 2024, Judge Gordon Cuffy sentenced Outley to 40 years to life in prison.

His accomplice, Chavez Ocasio was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the death of 11-month-old Dior Harris. 

His sentence was reduced because he accepted a plea deal in which he pled guilty to attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. 

Dior's family expressed their dissatisfaction with the length of the sentence.

They said it was inadequate given the circumstances of the case.

In another true crime case, a former nurse Melanie Lyn McGuire shocked the world with her heinous crime. 

After killing her husband, she dismembered his body and packed the remains into a suitcase. 

The gruesome case was dubbed the 'suitcase murder' by the media. 

Click here to read more about this chilling story.

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