The following news item is printed in its entirety as it appeared in the New Haven Register,
October 17, 2007:

City man guilty of manslaughter
'Accidental' shooting left woman, 21, dead
October 17 , 2007 - New Haven Register
By Randall Beach, Register Staff

NEW HAVEN —A Superior Court jury Tuesday found Vincent Cornelius guilty of second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Kendraya Glasper, but decided he was innocent of murder.

The 12-member jury also found Cornelius guilty of carrying a pistol without a permit, a charge he and defense attorney Glenn Conway had not contested.

When he is sentenced Dec. 14, Cornelius, 23, faces a prison term of up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter and up to five years for the weapon conviction.

The second-degree manslaughter verdict means jurors concluded Cornelius exhibited reckless conduct that led to Glasper's death.

During his testimony last week, Cornelius said he accidentally fired the gun twice as he stood outside a car in which Glasper, 21, was sitting. The shooting occurred the night of April 26, 2006, outside 14 Gilbert St.

Cornelius and Glasper were friends, as were two others on the scene.

Witnesses said Cornelius tried to aid Glasper after he shot her, and urged people to call 911. He initially told police two masked men had done the shooting, but then confessed his involvement about an hour later, according to Conway.

Conway told jurors Cornelius was trying to hitch up his baggy pants, pulled out the gun, then hit his arm on the car, causing it to discharge. He said the second shot occurred because Cornelius was startled by the sound of the first shot.

Assistant State's Attorney Stacey Haupt said this account defies common sense. She questioned how somebody could accidentally fire two shots, one of them with a gun pressed against the victim's chest.

Reached for comment Tuesday afternoon after court was adjourned, Haupt said, "The family (of the victim) is very distressed and the state is disappointed" by the verdict. "But the jury has spoken and we accept their verdict."

Conway commented, "The jury worked long and hard and they arrived at the right result. I commend their effort."

Jurors began deliberating Monday afternoon and after about two hours were sent home for the night. They announced the verdict just before 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Superior Court Judge Joseph Licari Jr. presided over the trial.

Randall Beach can be reached at rbeach@nhregister.com or 789-5766.