Trial begins for alleged gang members accused of killing woman in Hempstead

Joe, today was opening statements for the case of the murdered teacher. According to prosecutors, Omar Barry ordered the shooting and then Joelle Badger fired four shots at point-blank range killing Kimberly Majette in April 2023 as she was dropping her daughter off at her ex-husband's house in Hempstead. Majette's friend was in the car with them and was also shot but survived. According to prosecutors, Joelle Badger shot 44-year-old Kimberly Majette four times in the head in her car in Hempstead in front of her daughter and friend. During day one of the trial, the jury heard opening statements from the prosecution and defense. The prosecutor detailed how Majette was an innocent victim and was on life support two days before dying. He played audio of the 911 calls from Majette's ex-mother-in-law and ex-husband, telling the operators Majette was shot. The first witness to testify, the victim's mother. Investigators say the defendants are part of the Bloodhound Brims gang and mistook Majette for a rival gang member. The accused shooter, Joel Badger, is already serving a 22-year prison sentence in Suffolk after pleading guilty to robbery and conspiracy to commit murder. That conspiracy includes Majette's killing, but defense attorneys are challenging the murder case in Nassau. Omar Barry's lawyer says he never ordered the shooting, and Badger's attorney says there's no forensic evidence linking him to the murder. Both men face murder, attempted murder, and weapons charges. Family of the victim declined to speak with us after court. The trial is expected to last at least three weeks. In Mineola, Nassau County, Logan Crawford, News 12.