Syracuse, N.Y. ― A Syracuse man started his second murder trial Tuesday after the first trial that ended in his conviction was overturned .

Miequin Cheese, 34, is accused of shooting Lakquan Golden, 26, nine times on a crowded porch at a home on Rockland Avenue in June 2019.

At his first trial in 2021, Judge Thomas J. Miller expressed no doubt that Cheese killed the man and sentenced him to 40 years to life in prison for murder and illegal weapon possession.

The conviction was overturned in 2024 because a juror responded to a question during jury selection by nodding instead of verbally answering the question.

After being released from state prison, Cheese has remained in the Justice Center jail awaiting a new trial.

In his opening statement Tuesday, prosecutor Austin Milone tol

See Full Page