Conviction in 1999 Love Triangle Murder

After seven years on the run, a 49-year-old man has been convicted of murdering his cousin in broad daylight on a Richmond Hill street in 1999 as a result of a love triangle.

Tahir Naqvi, formerly of Columbus, Georgia, was convicted last Thursday of second-degree murder and second-and-third-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial. He faces 25 years to life in prison when sentenced on August 20.

According to trial testimony, the victim, Irfan Naqvi, 29, was having an affair with the wife of the defendant, who was his first cousin. The defendant knew about the affair and stalked the victim, waiting for him outside his home on Metropolitan Avenue in Richmond Hill on Aug. 14, 1999.

At about 3:45 that afternoon, the victim left his home and was on his way to a family wedding when he was accosted by his cousin, who fired two shots at him. As the victim crawled along the ground, the defendant fired a third shot. Finally, the defendant dragged the victim onto the sidewalk, straddled his body and shot him two more times, in the shoulder and head.

The incident was witnessed by a 14-year-old girl who was on her way to church. She later picked the defendant out of a photo array and testified against him at trial. The case was investigated by Detective Jeffrey Lucas of the 102nd Precinct’s Detective Squad, with assistance from the NYPD’s Queens Cold Case Squad.

“The defendant has now been convicted of hunting down and shooting to death his first cousin on a public street,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “The defendant has taken a life and shattered a family. It took 10 years to bring him to justice and his conviction warrants imposition of a maximum prison sentence to punish him and protect society.”