A convicted murderer’s second chance at life was cut short this week by a hitman in Hasidic garb who blasted him in the back of the head in a shocking Queens execution caught on surveillance video.
Victim Jermaine Dixon — a former member of the “Patio Crew” in Brooklyn — had been out of federal prison for less than a year when the disguised gunman struck on Monday, killing the reformed gangster.
Surveillance video from S. Conduit Ave. near 132nd St. in South Ozone Park captured what appears to be the planned hit around 8 a.m.
The gunman was a Black man dressed in a Hasidic-style hat and long black robe, police sources said. Video released Thursday by the NYPD shows the shooter near Kennedy Airport, working on a white sedan with the hood up while keeping an eye out for his target.
As Dixon, 47, approached his Ford Edge SUV, the suspect runs over and shoots him in the back of the head, video shows.
A resident in the nearby Skyway Men’s Shelter heard at least three shots and saw people running.
“I just finished breakfast and came out to have a smoke,” he said. “Everybody was running away. . . . I see everybody staring at something across the street.”
The gunman then ran back to his car, dropped the hood and drove off on 132nd St., the video shows.
Witnesses told police that the gunman, who also was wearing white gloves and a white facemask, had pretended to work on the car for several hours before ambushing Dixon, sources said.
The execution cut short Dixon’s efforts at redemption.
The ex-con had once rolled with the “Patio Crew,” a name referring to a Flatbush restaurant where the gang hung out.
Dixon served 19 years for drug charges and the 1992 murder of Alphonso Gooden. Prosecutors said that Dixon was the trigger man. His brother, Emile Dixon, was also convicted for the killing and is serving a life sentence.
Papers in Brooklyn Federal Court show that Jermaine Dixon considered cooperating with the feds, but the deal fell apart after prosecutors learned of his role in the Gooden slaying.
Facing a life sentence that was later reduced to 30 years, Dixon became a model prisoner. He pursued a bachelor’s degree in business and filed for compassionate release.
“It is clear that I am not the young man that your honor sentenced 20 years ago,” Dixon wrote to Judge Raymond Dearie. “I am now asking your honor to again take a chance with me and let me re-enter society to prove to myself, my mother, children, family and also the court that I can and will do the right thing upon release…I blame no one but myself for the road I chose that put me in my current situation. ”
Dearie was persuaded.
“Do I leave Mr. Dixon to the authorities and require him to serve out the sentence he deserves, or do I grant him a somewhat accelerated release in the hope that for himself and his family he will continue on a road to a respectable and productive life?” Dearie wrote. “I choose the latter. I choose to take a chance.”
Dearie noted in his ruling that Dixon lied to investigators when he was first arrested for Gooden’s murder.
“That poor, indeed catastrophic decision was no doubt prompted in the main by his repeated concern for his own brother who faced capital offenses and by his unwillingness to testify against him,” Dearie wrote. “The government was certainly justified in its reaction, but at the same time Mr. Dixon’s efforts to protect his older brother are understandable and similarly reflect a decent side to his character.”
Dixon’s mother and son are traveling from Jamaica to mourn his death, according to three family members who declined to provide their names. They called Dixon “a good guy” but would not comment further.
Cops released video of the killing in the hopes that someone can identify the shooter. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
With Wes Parnell and Brittany Kriegstein
