Man Faces Murder Charge After Beatdown By Nassau Restaurant: DA

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — A Roosevelt man was arraigned Monday on murder charges after he was accused of beating a man outside a Hempstead restaurant in 2022, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.

Jose Osma, 59, of Copiague, died from his injuries in April — roughly a year after the attack, Donnelly said.

Dennis Ray, also known as "Midnight," 62, was charged with second-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on Jan. 11.

Ray faces a potential maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Ray's co-defendant, Tyrell Guthrie, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Nov. 9, the DA said. Guthrie is expected to be sentenced to 18 years in prison on Jan. 17.

"Jose Osma was brutally beaten during a robbery in April 2022, and both of his orbital sockets were left concaved after the attack allegedly committed by these defendants," Donnelly said in a news release. "Thanks to a good Samaritan, Mr. Osma was found eight hours later and taken to the hospital. Remarkably, he survived multiple brain surgeries but sadly passed away earlier this year. The Osma family deserves justice, and we will hold these defendants accountable for their alleged actions.

On April 22, 2022, at 11 p.m., Guthrie and Ray, during a robbery, brutally beat Osma behind Chuck E. Cheese, at 162 Fulton Ave., Hempstead, investigators said.

Osma was discovered by someone passing by at 7 a.m. the following morning, authorities said. Osma had no identification or personal property on him, and he was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state with numerous skull and orbital fractures, prosecutors said.

Osma’s family filed a missing person’s report in Suffolk County, and he was eventually discovered on April 24, 2022, at NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island (formerly Winthrop Hospital) where he was listed as a "John Doe," authorities said.

Guthrie was arrested near the scene by Nassau police with Osma's blood on his clothing, officials said. Ray was arrested on May 7, 2022, by Nassau police, authorities said.

Osma slipped into and out of a coma several times after the assault and underwent five separate brain surgeries, the prosecutors said. Osma succumbed to his injuries on April 30, approximately a year after the attack, the DA said.

Ray was previously indicted in July 2022 on two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree robbery, three counts of second-degree assault, one count of third-degree robbery, one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of third-degree assault, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The two indictments were consolidated Monday.

Ray is represented by Joseph Lo Piccolo. Guthrie is represented by David Haber.