Albany man gets 32 years for 2020 murder

ALBANY – An Albany man was sentenced on Friday to 32 years to life in prison for murder.  

Jaiquan Allah, 32, was convicted in July following a jury trial of shooting William Hooks with an illegal handgun. The incident happened on June 20, 2020, in the area of 163 North Lake Ave in Albany.  

Hooks’ significant other, Shaliva Leverett, testified at the sentencing hearing, explaining that she has gone “1,486 days without my soulmate.”  

“Even though time has passed, my life has stood still…Every day I pray that I find the strength to be at peace one day, to cope with the loss of someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,” she said in a news release.  

In addition to the second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon charges, Allah was also convicted of second-degree assault for injuring a second victim.  

Judge Roger McDonough issued remarks lamenting the shootings, beatings and murders in Albany, which he said “leaves behind in its wake broken families, broken neighborhoods, a broken city.”

Homicide and Violent Crimes Bureau Chief Jessica Blain-Lewis and Trial Assistant Katelyn Kaczkowski handled the prosecution of this case.