NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 73-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for shooting a Queens deli owner during a robbery in 2021, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
James Fraley shot Rufino Rojas-Flores, the owner of Rojas Deli in Briarwood, during a robbery on Aug. 12, 2021.
He reportedly ordered a sandwich before shooting the man in the chest and then demanding money from his daughter, who was working behind the counter.
The victim’s daughter handed over between $100 and $200 in cash from the register before Fraley fled.
Rojas-Flores survived the shooting.
Fraley was arrested during a traffic stop on Aug. 17, and officers later found two pistols and a safe containing more than 12 ounces of heroin in it alongside glassine envelopes commonly used for packaging drugs.
He was on lifetime parole for a 1989 murder conviction at the time of his arrest.
“A violent predator very nearly shot a small business owner to death for less than $200, and the guns and drugs found in his home pointed to more bloodshed and devastation ahead,” said Queens DA Melinda Katz. “The debt he will have to pay to society is a long prison sentence.”
Fraley was convicted of murder, assault, robbery and related charges late last month.
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