A Queens man has been found guilty of murder after fatally shooting his 25-year-old nephew during an argument over food at a family barbecue, authorities announced on Thursday.
On Tuesday, a jury convicted Durran Morgan of second-degree murder, assault, and weapons possession related to the incident on May 27, 2023. The jury reached its decision in less than two hours following a four-day trial that commenced on November 20, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
“A weekend meant for celebration ended in heartbreak when the defendant took the life of his young nephew over a trivial argument about food costs,” Katz stated. “He also inflicted serious harm on his niece in a shooting witnessed by other family members. Resorting to gun violence is never a solution to disputes.”
Morgan, 40, who initially claimed to be an Iraq War veteran when first charged, is set to be sentenced on December 16 and faces a potential sentence of 50 years to life in prison.
During the proceedings, prosecutors demonstrated that Morgan’s claim of serving in the Marines was false, officials noted.
Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News Chevaughn Millings, 25, was fatally shot during a fight over food at a backyard barbecue in May 2023. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)
Morgan, 40, who claimed to be an Iraq War Marine veteran when he was arraigned, is expected to be sentenced Dec. 16. He’s facing 50 years to life in prison.
During the trial, prosecutors proved that Morgan never served in the Marines, officials said.
He was accused of killing his nephew Chevaughn Millings during an argument over who was paying for the chicken purchased for the barbecue, prosecutors said.
The 9:15 p.m. shooting happened in front of several relatives during a cookout at the family’s St. Albans home on Pineville Lane.
As Millings and Morgan argued over who was going to pay for the chicken, the defendant’s nephew pushed him out the side door of the home, relatives told police at the time.
Morgan retaliated by reentering the home through the front door, pulling a gun from his waistband and furiously shooting his nephew 10 times, prosecutors said.
The gunman’s 20-year-old niece, who was standing near Millings, was also hit multiple times in the leg and grazed by a bullet on her forehead.
Chevaughn Millings
Facebook Chevaughn Millings. (Facebook)
Medics rushed both victims to Jamaica Hospital, where Millings died. Morgan’s niece survived and is still recovering, prosecutors said.
“I’m in shock … confused,” Millings’ mother, who gave her name as Vern, told the Daily News shortly after the shooting.
“He’s kind and he’s helpful,” she said of her slain son. “He’s hardworking. He loved to draw. He loved to sing. And he’s always helping me to do everything.”
Neighbors said the family was known for loud gatherings and that Morgan had twice before been accused of domestic violence.
Morgan fled to Georgia after the shooting but later returned to New York to surrender at the 113th Precinct stationhouse.
He had previously been arrested on accusations he beat his daughter with a belt and had high-powered ammunition hidden in his home four months before killing Millings, but had been released without bail, court documents show.
In 2019, Morgan was accused of grabbing his 41-year-old girlfriend by the hair and throwing her to the ground, bruising her head and elbow. The case was later dismissed and sealed. And in 2016 Morgan was arrested for DWI. Police said he was pulled over in Bensonhurst for driving erratically and registered a .137 on a breathalyzer, close to double the legal limit.
