Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Jakai Lofton, 19, of Buffalo, was sentenced this morning before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case. He received an indeterminate sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
On Saturday, August 12, 2023, at approximately 5:20 p.m., the defendant, while acting in concert with another teenager, intentionally shot the victim multiple times with an illegal gun. The crime occurred on the front porch of a residence on the 200 block of Shirley Avenue in the City of Buffalo. The victim, 21-year-old Quban Romell Najee Embry, died at the scene.
In April 2025, a jury found Lofton guilty of one count of Murder in the Second Degree (Class “A-I” felony) and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class “C” violent felony). Jurors rendered their decision after approximately 90 minutes of deliberation following a five-day trial, convicting the defendant of all counts in the indictment.
His co-defendant, Anthony Borden, 19, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree (Class “B” violent felony) for his involvement in the homicide. The defendant entered the guilty plea to the charge in full satisfaction of the indictment in November 2024. This afternoon, Borden was sentenced before Judge Case to a determinate sentence of 8 years in prison followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.
DA Keane commends Detective Chris Sterlace of the Buffalo Police Department and Erie County Central Police Services Forensic Laboratory for their work in this investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Eugene T. Partridge, III, of the Homicide Bureau and Assistant Chief Samantha N. King of the Buffalo City Court Bureau.