On the evening of May 24, 2000, 18-year-old Jeremy Mele was working the closing shift at a Wendy’s in Flushing, Queens when two men entered the restaurant and carried out a robbery that became a mass murder. The assailants, identified as a former employee and an accomplice, used the former employee’s familiarity with the shop to gain access and then lured staff into a basement office and down into the walk-in freezer. Seven employees were bound, had plastic bags placed over their heads, were forced to their knees, and were shot in the head.

Five of the seven victims, including Jeremy Mele, died from their injuries. Two employees survived; one was able to call for help after the attackers fled with about $2,400. Within 48 hours investigators arrested John Taylor, 36, and Craig Godineaux. Both men were charged with multiple counts including murder, attempted murder, and robbery; Taylor’s palm print was found at the scene and both gave statements implicating the other. Taylor was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and initially sentenced to death; Godineaux pleaded guilty and received consecutive life terms without parole.