Maximum sentence imposed for 3 defendants convicted of murder of Town of Tonawanda woman, attempted murder of her 2 children & killing 2 victims in separate robbery in Buffalo

Submitted by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office

Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced Ernest B. Green Jr., 41, of Buffalo, and Daniel Rodriguez, 41, of Buffalo, were sentenced this morning before State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller to 75 years to life in prison. Both defendants received the maximum possible sentence following their convictions for the murder of a woman and the attempted murder of her two children in the Town of Tonawanda.

During the early morning hours of Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, the defendants, while acting in concert with one another, murdered the victim during the course of a home invasion robbery. Green and Rodriguez unlawfully entered the victim’s residence on Ebling Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda through a rear door. Once inside of the home, Green and Rodriguez intentionally shot the female victim and her two daughters. The victim, 31-year-old Danielle Cretacci, died at the scene.

The two juvenile victims were 8 years old and 11 years old at the time of the crime. One of the surviving victims pretended to be dead then watched from a window as the suspects fled before going to a neighboring house for help. Both victims were transported by ambulance to ECMC where they were hospitalized for their injuries.

Last month, jurors found Green and Rodriguez guilty of one count of murder in the second degree (class “A-I” felony) and two counts of attempted murder in the second degree (class “B” violent felonies). Jurors rendered their decision after approximately after six hours of deliberation following an 11-day trial, convicting the defendants of all counts in the indictment.

The jury also found Ernest B. Green Jr. and another co-defendant, Wayne Robbins, 27, of Buffalo, guilty of two counts of murder in the first degree and four counts of murder in the second degree (class “A-I” felonies). Both defendants were convicted of all counts in the indictment for a separate crime involving the homicides of two victims in the City of Buffalo.

During the early morning of Sept. 27, 2019, Green and Robbins, while acting in concert with one another, murdered two victims during the course of a robbery. Both victims were shot inside of a two-unit residence on Merrimac Street in the City of Buffalo. A short time later, Buffalo Police officers responded to a 911 call at the residence where they found both victims, 21-year-old Bethany B. Malloy and 26-year-old Shaquiel S. St. John, deceased.

Today, Justice Boller sentenced Green and Robbins to life in prison without parole. The defendants received the maximum possible sentence for their convictions.

A fourth co-defendant, Sharee Bailey, 32, of Cheektowaga, pleaded guilty for her role in the crime. The defendant pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in the first degree (class “B” violent felony) in full satisfaction of the indictment against her. Bailey, who remains held without bail pending sentence, faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when she is sentenced before Justice Boller on Tuesday, June 4.

A fifth defendant was later charged for his alleged involvement in the robbery on Merrimac Street. The felony complaint was dismissed in Buffalo City Court on April 5, 2024.

“The families of Danielle Cretacci, Bethany Malloy and Shaquiel St. John have waited a long time for justice. These were brutal killings motivated by greed. I hope that the families of the victims feel a sense of legal closure as these three defendants have been convicted of all counts in the indictment and will spend the rest of their lives in prison,” Keane said.

He commends Capt. Joseph Fennell, retired Det. Jeffrey Campanella and members of the Town of Tonawanda Police Department for their work in the Danielle Cretacci homicide investigation. He also commends detectives Scott Malec and Mark White, and members of the Buffalo Police Department for their work in the Bethany Malloy and Shaquiel St. John homicide investigation. Keane also recognized the Amherst Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives, as well as our office’s victim advocates, Kimberly Rapp and Nicole Haffa.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Ryan D. Haggerty of the narcotics/intelligence bureau, Assistant District Attorney Christopher S. Safulko of the homicide bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Samantha N. King of the narcotics/intelligence bureau.