MS-13 Gang Member Gets 34 To Life For 2 Murders, 1 in Nassau

MINEOLA, NY — An MS-13 member was sentenced on Tuesday to 34 years to life in prison for his role in two murders in December 2018 that occurred in Queens and Nassau.

Yonathan Sanchez, 24, a.k.a. Turbo, of Far Rockaway, pleaded guilty on March 13 Robbins to two counts of second-degree murder.

“This defendant brutally murdered two young men as part of MS-13’s failed campaign for dominance,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “Working together, law enforcement has decimated this gang on Long Island, and Sanchez will join his many fellow gang members spending decades to life behind bars.”

Cases against Sanchez's co-defendants — Carlos Guerra, 19, of Far Rockaway, and Elmer Guiterrez, 19, aka Revolver, of Valley Stream — are still pending. The cases against a 17-year-old boy (who was 15 at the time of the crime) and a 14-year-old girl (who was 13 at the time) are still pending. They were charged with second-degree murder for the Nassau attack.

One 17-year-old boy (who 15 at the time of the crime) pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and is expected to be sentenced to 8-1/2 years to life in prison.

According to Singas, on Dec. 15, 2018, Ian Cruz, a 23-year-old from Far Rockaway, was lured to Bayswater Point State Park in Far Rockaway with the promise of drugs and sex. Cruz met the 13-year-old girl and they started to walk the park, while Sanchez and his co-defendants allegedly hid nearby, armed with knives. Sanchez emerged from bushes and shot Cruz four times in the head with a .22 caliber revolver. Cruz was a perceived enemy of the gang.

The murderers stole Cruz's belongings and fled to an apartment on Nameoke Street where Sanchez and Guerra lived, Singas said. Cruz was found the next day on top of a blanket in his underwear by a park goer.

Days later, on Dec. 17, Harold Sermeno, 17, of Far Rockaway, was lured to the Five Towns Community Center in Lawrence. Sermeno and the girl went to a park on the property and began to drink and smoke at a picnic table. The others were hidden nearby. Sanchez came out of hiding and shot Sermeno four times in the head and once in the chest with a .22 caliber revolver. Gutierrez then allegedly sliced Sermeno's neck with a machete, Singas said.

After the murder, Singas said the attackers fled to the same apartment. Sermeno was found the next day by a person walking their dog.

Singas said the police recovered the machete and the .22 caliber revolver used in Sermeno's murder at the apartment on Nameoke Street.

Sanchez, Guerra, Gutierrez and two juveniles were arrested on Dec. 20, 2018 in Far Rockaway by members of the NYPD. Another juvenile was arrested on Dec. 28, 2018 by members of the NYPD and the Nassau County Police Department.