CINCINNATI, OH — Two men were sentenced Thursday to more than 50 years in prison for the 2017 killing of Curtis Boston Jr., a Cincinnati man prosecutors said was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered before his body was burned. William McGivens and Quincy Ray each received prison terms of 53 to 57 years. The hearing drew a strong emotional response from Boston’s relatives, who held his photographs in court as the sentences were announced.
Assistant prosecutors described the case as an ambush and said more than 50 shots were fired at Boston. They said McGivens and Ray then chased him down and kidnapped him. Prosecutors also said Boston was shot three more times and that his body was later burned.
Courtroom Reaction
Boston’s family members spoke during the hearing and urged accountability for the killing. His father addressed McGivens directly, telling him, “You knew him, he trusted you.” Another family member said the punishment had been a long time coming and that the defendants were finally being held responsible.
Several relatives applauded when the sentences were read. The courtroom scene underscored how long the case has weighed on the family, which waited years for the sentencing after the killing in 2017 and the eventual arrest of the two men in 2023. The comments from relatives focused on trust, loss and the delay before justice reached the courtroom.
What Prosecutors Said
Prosecutors said the violence did not end with Boston. They said an Uber driver who was considered a possible witness was also shot, and that a third person was grazed by a bullet. The case was presented as a sequence of escalating attacks, beginning with gunfire and ending with the burning of Boston’s body.
The assistant prosecutor used the word “ambush” to characterize the attack, reflecting the state’s view that Boston was targeted rather than caught in random crossfire. The sentencing hearing brought those allegations back into focus and placed them before the judge as part of the record leading to the lengthy prison terms.
Years Before Arrests
McGivens and Ray were not taken into custody until 2023, roughly six years after Boston was killed. That gap made the case especially painful for family members, who had to wait through a long investigation before the defendants faced sentencing. The timeline also added attention to the hearing, which became a moment of closure as well as grief.
Ray’s sentence also comes while he is already serving 10 years in federal prison in Wisconsin on drug charges. The court did not say how that federal sentence will interact with the new state terms, but the separate case shows he was already incarcerated before Thursday’s punishment in Cincinnati.
Sentences And Aftermath
Thursday’s ruling left both men facing decades behind bars for the murder of Boston, whose death prosecutors said included a shooting, kidnapping, and burning of his body. The sentences of 53 to 57 years reflect the seriousness of the allegations and the court’s decision to impose substantial punishment in the case.
For Boston’s relatives, the day was about finally hearing a formal judgment after years of waiting. Their remarks in court made clear that the family saw the punishment as overdue, while the applause that followed the sentences showed how heavily the case had affected them. The proceedings closed another chapter in a prosecution that stretched across years.
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