A video has gone viral showing a judge silencing a New York man in court before sentencing him to 25 years to life in prison for killing his estranged wife in front of their children.
During a sentencing hearing on Friday afternoon (December 20), a judge, Honorable M. William Boller, had enough of hearing from Adam Bennefield, a New York man convicted of killing his estranged wife in front of her three children, two from a previous relationship and one fathered by Bennefield. According to reports, Bennefield previously served 15 years in prison for an armed kidnapping of two women, one of them who was an ex-girlfriend.
In November 2024, Bennefield, a man from Cheektowaga, New York (a suburb of Buffalo) was convicted of killing his estranged wife Ke’Aira Hudson. He was found guilty of 5 counts: murder in the second degree, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and one count of aggravated criminal contempt.
Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane said that on October 5, 2022, Bennefield intentionally crashed his pickup truck into Hudson’s car while stopped on Richlawn and Shawnee Avenues. Officials said, the New York man got out of his truck and intentionally shot and killed the 30-year-old woman just outside of her car, where her three young children, including an infant, sat in the backseat. It’s reported that Bennefield used a shotgun to shoot Hudson in the head, who was also wearing a bulletproof vest. She died at the scene.
Shortly after the fatal shooting, police issued an arrest warrant for Bennefield, naming the New York man a suspect in the killing of his estranged wife. A few days later, he was taken into custody by the Buffalo Police Department, with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service. Upon the New York man being found guilty of killing his estranged wife in front of their children, the D.A.’s Office commended the victim’s daughter “for having the strength and courage to testify against her mother’s killer.”
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During the trial, it was also learned that Bennefield was arrested the day before the fatal shooting in connection to a domestic incident with Hudson. He was released the same day because the charges did not qualify him for bail, however, he was let go with an order of protection granted against him. Thus, the D.A.’s Office said Bennefield committed the fatal crime while knowingly in violation of an order of protection issued after his arrest on October 4, 2022.
The victim’s family also claimed that she was in an abusive relationship with Bennefield. In October 2024, the victim’s family also filed a lawsuit against the Cheektowaga Police Department and the Town of Cheektowaga, accusing them of failing to step in and properly charge Bennefield to keep him behind bars.
After being found guilty of killing his estranged wife in front of their children, the New York man has now been sentenced to 25 years to life, plus a fine of up to $5,000. He was also sentenced to three-and-a-half to seven years for a criminal contempt charge, which will be served concurrently with the murder sentence, and ordered to pay $3,000 on the three misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child charges.
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However, before the judge could sentence the New York man, he was told to “shut up” as he spoke during a tense sentencing hearing on Friday (December 20). While speaking to the court, Bennefield claimed he was a victim of “due process violations.”
Before the New York man could finish his sentence, the judge interrupted him, having had enough, and told him to “shut up! Honorable M. William Boller said, “All right. Thank you! You’re here because a jury convicted you of brutally killing your wife! Okay! Hear me out, I’ve had enough of this. You’re a narcissist!” The judge requested his microphone be cut off and then told him that he was in his courtroom because he was convicted by a jury.
The man then fired back claiming he was given a completely White jury, which he said was against the law. He said, “That is a set-up. So, if you wanna send me out there, I’ll go out there, but you know what the law is and you haven’t followed it and neither has you, and neither has you. Everybody sat here is clearly…” Before he could finish, the judge yelled, “All right. Hear me out, shut up!”
The man said, “I’m not gonna shut up,” causing the judge to request his officials to “get him out of here!” After having the man removed from the courtroom, the judge told the victim’s family, “I will write a letter to the parole board, using the strongest language possible, that he never ever sees the light of day.”
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