MS-13 Leader Indicted For Ordering Innocent Man's Murder: NCDA

The alleged leader of a Nassau sect of MS-13 was indicted today on charges related to a 2017 murder that occurred in Hempstead.

Ramon Martines, 36, of Hempstead, was charged with second-degree murder and first- and second-degree conspiracy. He is due back in court on Jan. 31. If convicted of the top charge, he faces 50 years to life in prison.

“The defendant – alleged to be a high-ranking clique leader of MS-13 – is charged with sanctioning the senseless murder of a 39-year old man as he walked on Front Street after a long day at work,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said. “MS-13 has waged war on our immigrant communities and with this arrest, we’ve removed an alleged clique leader and made our communities safer.”

According to Singas, on March 20, 2017, Martines, who authorities say is the leader of the Hempstead Locos Salvatrucha clique of MS-13, drove from Uniondale to Hempstead with other gang members. Singas said they were looking for a member of the rival 14th Street gang to shoot in kill in retaliation for an assault on an MS-13 member.

The group circled the area several times, Singas said, eventually spotting 39-year-old Nelson Rodriguez, of Hempstead, who was walking on Front Street after finishing work at an auto body shop.

Even though Rodriguez was not a member of the 14th Street gang, MS-13 member Pedro Rivera was ordered to kill him because he was a perceived enemy of MS-13, Singas said. The murder was sanctioned by Martines, Singas said.

Rivera got out of the car and began walking toward Rodriguez. He passed Rodriguez, then turned around and shot him in the head, then shot him again in the back after he fell to the ground, according to Singas.

Multiple people witnessed the shooting and immediately called 911. Rodriguez was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center, where he later died.

Rivera was convicted of the murder in October.