Niagara Falls Man Receives 40 Year Prison Sentence for 2023 Murder of Gregory Vincent

A Niagara Falls man has been sentenced to 40 years in state prison following his conviction for the fatal shooting of Gregory Vincent in June 2023.

Niagara County Court Judge John Ottaviano imposed the maximum sentence on 39-year-old Juan Ubiles, who was found guilty by a jury in May on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The deadly encounter occurred on the 2000 block of 18th Street on June 19th, 2023.

Surveillance footage from a nearby convenience store played a pivotal role in the case, capturing both video and audio of Vincent’s desperate attempt to flee as Ubiles pursued him and opened fire.

The jury, composed of eight women and four men, deliberated for just 55 minutes before returning a unanimous verdict.

Ubiles took the stand during his trial and offered a narrative rooted in longstanding personal conflict with Vincent.

He claimed the two had a fraught history that including violent altercations stretching back over a decade. Ubiles testified that Vincent had once been in a relationship with his wife and fathered a child with her, and that he and another man had physically attacked him years earlier.

According to Ubiles, this history created years of anxiety and tension whenever he encountered Vincent. He recounted an earlier 2010 incident in which he drove past Vincent’s residence and fired shots at him, his wife, and their children.

That event triggered a chaotic high-speed chase and a shootout, though no injuries were reported.

He described experiencing a “blackout” during both that event and the later shooting, saying he “took the law into my own hands.”

Ubiles further claimed that on the day of the shooting, he was at a store near 18th Street and Niagara Avenue when he saw Vincent arrive.

He said his intent was to question Vincent, but alleged that fear overwhelmed him, leading to another blackout where the fatal confrontation unfolded.

However, First Assistant Niagara County District Attorney Doreen Hoffmann challenged that version of events in court.

Using the store surveillance footage, Hoffmann presented a contrasting account, describing Ubiles as the aggressor. She asserted that Ubiles confronted Vincent, provoked him to exit his vehicle, then shot him at close range before chasing him down the street.

During cross-examination, Hoffmann asked Ubiles if he had threatened Vincent before firing. He admitted to saying, “I’m gonna put you in the dirt.”

The video presented during the trial showed Ubiles approaching Vincent’s vehicle, raising a firearm, and firing two shots as Vincent tried to escape.

Additional gunshots were heard as the chase continued. After the shooting, Ubiles is seen walking back along 18th Street toward Niagara Avenue.

He was pronounced dead at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center after responding officers from the Niagara Falls Police Department found Vincent lying in a nearby driveway with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.

Niagara Falls Man Receives 40 Year Prison Sentence for 2023 Murder of Gregory Vincent