Man Who Fled NY After Bay Shore Killing Sentenced To 25 To Life: DA

BAY SHORE, NY — A man who shot and killed his housemate inside a Bay Shore home was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Darwin Josue Maldonado Vanegas, 32, was sentenced after being found guilty of second-degree murder, as well as second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, DA said, following a jury trial last month.

The conviction stemmed from the April 2025 killing of 24-year-old Daniel Nunez-Hernandez.

According to prosecutors, Suffolk County police responded to a Bay Shore home on April 3, 2025, around 11:20 p.m., where officers discovered Nunez-Hernandez dead inside the residence.

Police determined the victim had suffered gunshot wounds to his chest and arm, and investigators recovered two 9mm shell casings near his body, the DA said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Prosecutors said Maldonado Vanegas and the victim were renting separate rooms in the same house.

Witnesses said they heard two gunshots coming from the basement earlier that morning, the DA said. Later the same day, other tenants returned home from work, found the victim’s body on a couch in the basement, and called the police.

During the investigation, authorities determined Maldonado Vanegas had been at the home around the same time the gunshots were heard, the DA said.

Investigators also recovered a magazine loaded with 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition between the mattress and box spring of Maldonado Vanegas’ bed, DA said.

After the killing, Maldonado Vanegas fled New York and withdrew a substantial amount of U.S. currency from his bank account, DA said.

Authorities said he later traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he stopped using his cellphone and obtained a second phone before continuing to Miami, Florida.

Maldonado Vanegas was arrested on May 7, 2025, in Miami by members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad and the City of Miami Police Department, DA said.

Federal immigration authorities have indicated they will seek to deport Maldonado Vanegas after he serves his sentence, the DA said.

He was represented by Donald Rollock, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This defendant committed a senseless and irreversible act of violence,” Tierney said. “He fled New York in an attempt to evade justice, and our investigators worked tirelessly to locate and apprehend him, ensuring he was brought back to face the consequences of his actions. This outcome sends a clear message that those who commit murder cannot outrun accountability.”