Killer In Violent Jamaica Break-In Gets Up To Life Behind Bars

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- A Queens man will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars for his role in a deadly break-in that would change the lives of one Jamaica family forever.

Elijah Gough, 31, of Jamaica, was among a trio of gun-toting men who forced their way into the family's apartment, shooting a man and killing his nephew while other family members watched helplessly.

A mask found near the family's home with Gough's DNA on it linked him to the 2014 crime. He was sentenced on Thursday after a jury convicted him of murder last month.

"The defendant in this case participated in an afternoon of horrors for one Queens family," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

The horrific evening began with a knock on the family's apartment door at around 6 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2014, according to trial testimony. When a 27-year-old man answered the door, a trio of gun-toting masked men sprayed him in the face with mace and descended on the apartment, prosecutors said.

The man and his 74-year-old mother were held at gunpoint while the robbers stormed the house. They stopped at the bedroom of his 21-year-old nephew, Taquane Clark, and shot him in the head, prosecutors said. Clark was killed instantly.

The gunmen then forced the man to the back of the apartment, where one of them demanded property and shot him in the leg and stomach, prosecutors said. He survived the injuries.

At some point during the home invasion, Gough's leg was shot in the crossfire. He limped his way out of the apartment to a neighbor's hard, where he hid for hours until finding a ride to the hospital, according to court records.

Cops later found a backpack, a sneaker and a mask whose DNA matched Gough's in the neighbor's backyard, court records show.

Gough was sentenced to 65 years to life in prison for second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree burglary and other charges.

Lead photo via Shutterstock.