Schenectady

A man who gunned down his ex-girlfriend as they and their 8-month-old son sat in a car on State Street pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Tuesday, prosecutors said.

Jamell Modest, 47, of Sche-nectady faces 23 years to life in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 2 by state Supreme Court Justice Michael V. Coccoma.

Modest and Markia Booth, a youth worker at Safe Inc., were in the car when Modest opened fire Dec. 13. The child was not injured.

Modest fled but was arrested a short time later by Schenectady patrol Officers Robert Young, Brandon Kietlinski and Kevin Rayball, prosecutors said.

The killing fueled intense emotions.

Booth's father, Marcus Harris, lunged at Modest when he was brought into City Court after his capture last year. A month later, police said one of her uncles threw a bottle at a police car in hopes he would be arrested and sent to the same jail as Modest.

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert M. Carney on Tuesday said: "The family and friends of Markia Harris Booth who mourn her loss can at least take comfort in the fact that her murderer was brought to justice due primarily to the willingness of witnesses to come forward, the utility of our camera system that enabled police to find the murder weapon, and the professionalism of prosecutors and police."

Modest also pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment.