Man Convicted for Murder of Boerum Hill Teenage Girl

A second man has been convicted for the 2010 murder of a Boerum Hill teenage girl after she refused to drop assault charges against the man's friend, Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes announced Wednesday. 

Rondell Bonds was convicted for murder in the first degree for killing Al-Taya Conyers, 16, on May 26, 2010. He was also convicted of conspiracy in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, tampering with a witness in the first degree and intimidating a victim or witness in the first degree. Bonds will be sentenced on June 5, and faces life in prison without parole.

Bonds is one of four men connected to the killing of Conyers. A separate jury convicted Kendale Robinson on April 8 with murder in the first degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. He will be sentenced on June 3 and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

A third man, Tywan Stith, plead guilty in May 2012 to attempting to intimidate a witness in the first degree and a fourth man, Thomas Johnson, agreed to testify at trial in exchange for a misdemeanor conviction. 

The four defendants knew the victim. On May 25, 2010, Conyers was allegedly assaulted by Devante Grant. Grant was a close friend of Bonds, Robinson, Stith and Johnson. Conyers filed charges against Grant and he was arrested and charged with assault in the second degree. 

On May 26, 2010 at approximately 2 p.m., Robinson approached the victim’s mother and brother outside 130 3rd Ave. and demanded Conyers drop the charges against Grant.    

Two hours later at 4 p.m., Stith and Johnson approached Conyers and repeated their demand that she drop the charges. Johnson testified at trial that the all four defendants then got together and Bonds said they would have to "take care of Al-Taya Conyers, her boyfriend or members of her family" because Grant was "facing a lot of time for his case."

On May 26, 2010 at 11:45 p.m., Robinson shot Conyers in the torso, at the corner of Bond Street and Warren Street. Conyers tried to run away and the defendant shot her again until she fell in front of 450 Warren St. Robinson then stood over the victim and fired three additional shots into her head, killing her.