LI Man Bludgeons Romantic Rival To Death On Riverhead Farm: DA

RIVERHEAD, NY — A Hampton Bays man has been convicted of robbing and murdering his romantic rival from East Hampton on a farm in Riverhead, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Jurors found Alcides Lopez Cambara, 42, guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the killing of 34-year-old Marco Grisales, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Tuesday. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison when he's sentenced.

On Nov. 11, 2020, Lopez Cambara was with his girlfriend, 18-year-old Tyara Lemus, 18, when she received a call from Grisales, prosecutors said.

Grisales told Lemus it was his birthday and he asked if he could see her that night. Lopez Cambara heard the conversation, became jealous, and devised a plan to rob Grislas with Lemus' help, prosecutors said.

Lopez Cambara and Lemus devised a plan for Lemus to lure Grisales out under the premise of celebrating his birthday, prosecutors said. Lopez Cambara recruited two other people to help him with the robbery.

Lemus arranged to meet Grisales at a McDonald’s in Riverhead. After the meeting, Lemus got into his pickup truck and "drove with him to a nearby buffalo farm to party," Tierney said.

Lopez Cambara and the two others he had recruited, Dennis Jonathan Hernandez Abanao and an unidentified male, were already at the farm, waiting to rob Grisales, Tierney said. After Lemus and Grisales parked, Lopez Cambara and the unidentified male dragged Grisales out of the car and beat him to death with a shotgun barrel, Tierney said.

Hernandez Abanao and Lemus stole jewelry and other valuables from Lemus' car; Lopez Cambara tore a gold chain from Grisales' neck, then the three men put his lifeless body in the bed of his own pickup truck, prosecutors said.

Lopez Cambara drove Grisales’ pickup truck from the scene with Grisales’ body in the back and parked it a short distance away, on Roanoke Avenue, partially blocking the roadway, Tierney said.

A passerby saw the pickup blocking the road and called 911 to report a disabled vehicle.

Riverhead Police Department officers discovered Grisales’ body in the truck bed.

In the days following the murder, Lemus, using an alias, called police and provided information about the other people involved in the crime, Tierney said. On Dec. 9, 2020, Lemus and Lopez
Cambara were arrested and charged with murder and robbery.

Lemus pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery, Tierney said. Hernandez Abanao pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder; both are pending sentence.

Lemus testified at the trial and gave a detailed description of Lopez Cambara’s involvement in the murder.

Surveillance videos from both the McDonald’s and a nearby hospital recorded Grisales’ pickup and Lopez Cambara's vehicle as they traveled to the killing site — as well as cell site records from both Lemus' and Lopez Cambara’s cell phones, prosecutors said.

Evidence also included items recovered during a search of the home shared by Lopez Cambara and Lemus, including Grisales' jewelry and the shotgun used to beat him, which was adorned with a distinctive bejeweled skull, Tierney said.

Finally, a download of Lemus' phone led to the recovery of WhatsApp conversations in which Lemus and Lopez Cambara discussed the plan to lure Grisales to the location of the murder, Tierney said.

Lopez Cambara is represented by John Halverson, Esq., and Christopher Gioe, Esq. Halvorsen and Gioe did not immediately return a request for comment.

Lopez Cambara is scheduled to be sentenced Jan 13, 2023.

“The defendant and his accomplices senselessly and brutally murdered the victim on his birthday,” said Tierney. “While the defendant’s murderous jealousy and greed ensured that this victim would never celebrate another birthday, the jury’s verdict ensures that this defendant will spend his birthday in prison for many years to come.”