Rochester man to spend four decades in prison for two murders months apart in 2023

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A man has been sentenced to 40 years for two murders in Rochester in 2023.

Naveair Stewart, 19, was sentenced Friday morning to 40 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision for the murders of Shanye Mootry and Jevonte Huff.

Mootry was caught in the cross fire of a shooting in her car on Holland Street on May 29, 2023. News10NBC sat down with her parents after the murder, who were heartbroken. For that story, click here.

Huff was a few months later during a shooting at a gas station on Dewey Avenue on August 26. News10NBC spoke with his mom, who was a childhood friend of Mootry’s dad. For that story, click here.

Rochester Police arrested Stewart the day after Huff was shot, and connected him to Mootry’s killing through their investigation.

“Last year, two unrelated altercations led to separate homicides at the hands of Naveair Stewart,” said District Attorney Sandra Doorley. “Naveair Stewart is a ruthless killer who had no concerns about using his illegally possessed firearm to solve arguments, regardless of the fatal risk. He did not learn his lesson when he took the life of 18-year-old Shanye Mootry, but instead once again escalated a dispute that resulted in the death of another innocent bystander, Jevonte Huff. It is clear that the defendant is a danger to this community, as he has no regard for anyone’s life. I am relieved that Naveair Stewart will spend the next forty years in the New York State Department of Corrections.”

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