Suffolk County district attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced that Nikeya Barker, 46, of Bay Shore, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree for the fatal stabbing of 47-year-old Shurvell Rush of Central Islip in May 2025. The victim and the defendant had previously dated but were not in a relationship during the time of the attack.
“This defendant followed her ex-boyfriend from the train station through the parking lot before stabbing him once in the chest, causing his death,” said Tierney. “Mr. Rush’s life was senselessly cut short, and we hope that this conviction will bring a measure of justice to his family.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during her guilty plea allocution, on May 3, 2025, shortly after 6:30 p.m., Barker confronted Rush at the Bay Shore train station about an incident that occurred during the course of their prior relationship. Moments later, she followed the victim through the station’s parking lot to an adjacent complex of townhouses while wielding a large knife. Barker then stabbed the victim in the parking lot on Railroad Plaza.
Surveillance footage captured Barker discarding the knife in the bushes just feet away from the attack and fleeing the scene. The knife was later recovered by law enforcement, and forensic testing revealed the presence of Barker’s DNA on the weapon.
The victim was transported to South Shore University Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased as the result of a stab wound. On May 6, 2025, Barker surrendered to the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad.
On Oct. 5, 2026, Barker pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the first degree, a class B violent felony, before Judge Bryan Browns. She is due back in court on Jan. 11, 2027, for sentencing and faces 15 to 25 years in prison. Barker is represented by Robert Macedonio, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michelle Chiuchiolo. The investigation was conducted by Detective Adam Quinones of the Suffolk County Police Department Homicide Squad.
