Man who acted as the main aggressor in the brutal kidnapping and assault of a man pleaded guilty Monday.
Tashawn Adams, 23, admitted to kidnapping Koddie Beechner at knifepoint, holding him in various apartments and assaulting him over several days in April 2023.
Adams admitted to his role in the brutal attack after Judge Gordon Cuffy offered to sentence Adams to no worse than 20 years to life in prison if he pleaded guilty to the whole indictment.
Adams is one of seven people accused of assaulting Beechner. He was accused of acting as one of the main aggressors along with Hunter Armstrong.
Beechner was beaten, tased and shot with a pellet gun, prosecutors have said. The torture was captured on cell phone videos made by at least one of the men, he said.
In one video, Beechner is inside Adams’ apartment and is jumped by Quincy Williams and Adams. Adams paid Williams $50 to assault Beechner, Williams’ attorney Shaun Chase said.
Another video showed Adams tasering Beechner in his apartment. The last video filmed inside Adams’ apartment shows Renee Dolson and Adams threatening Beechner. Adams told Beechner he could not leave until he gave them $4,000 to $6,000 of his Social Security money.
Beechner was then forced to walk around an hour from Adams’ apartment to the home of Hunter Armstrong at 304 Merriman Ave. Videos filmed inside Armstrong’s home show Adams and Armstrong threatening Beechner as he is shot at close range with a pellet gun. Beechners screamed as he was shot multiple times and blood could be seen from where the pellets hit him.
Beechner told the men that he could not feel his body. They told him that they would slit his throat if he collapsed.
Beechner was found April 24 and taken to Upstate University Hospital.
Beechner was left with several facial injuries, a collapsed lung, bone fractures and wounds from being shot repeatedly with a pellet gun. He still has pellets lodged in his body.
Adams’ decision to plead guilty comes just days after Cuffy ruled that he would not be considering a lighter sentence under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act.
