LI Man Sentenced For Bludgeoning Romantic Rival On Riverhead Farm: DA

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — A Hampton Bays man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after he robbed and bludgeoned a romantic rival on a Riverhead farm in 2020, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Alcides Lopez Cambara was sentenced Monday for murdering Marco Grisales, 36, of East Hampton; he also faces 5 years of post-release supervision, Tierney said.

On Dec. 13, Lopez Cambara was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery after a jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft, Jr., Tierney said.

The evidence at trial established that on November 11, 2020, Lopez Cambara was with his girlfriend, Tyara Lemus, then 18, when she received a call from Grisales, Tierney said.

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

Lopez Cambara and Lemus planned for Lemus to lure Grisales out under the premise of celebrating his birthday; Lopez Cambara also recruited two other individuals to help him rob Grisales, Tierney said.

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

Lopez Cambara and the two others he had recruited, Dennis Jonathan Hernandez Abanao and an unidentified male, were already at the farm, lying in wait to rob Grisales, Tierney said.

After Lemus and Grisales parked, Lopez Cambara and the unidentified man dragged Grisales out of the car and bludgeoned him to death with the barrel of a shotgun, the DA said. Hernandez Abanao and Lemus stole jewelry and other valuables from the Grisales' car, Tierney said. 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, Tierney said.

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

A passerby saw the pickup blocking the road and called 911 to report a disabled vehicle, prosecutors said. Responding officers from the Riverhead Police Department discovered Grisales’ body in the bed of the truck, Tierney said.

In the days following the murder, Lemus, using an alias, called police and provided information about the other individuals involved in the crime, Tierney said.

On Dec. 9, 2020, Lemus and Lopez Cambara were arrested and charged with the murder and robbery of Grisales, Tierney said.

Lemus pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery for her role in the crime; Hernandez Abanao pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder, Tierney said. Both are pending sentence.

Lemus testified at the trial and gave a detailed description of Lopez Cambara's involvement in the murder, Tierney said. Her testimony was corroborated by surveillance videos from both a McDonald’s and nearby hospital that captured Grisales’ pickup and Lopez Cambara's vehicle as they traveled to the location of the murder, as well as cell site records from both Lemus and Lopez Cambara’s cell phones, Tierney said.

The evidence also included items recovered during the execution of a search warrant at the home shared by Lopez Cambara and Lemus, including Grisales' jewelry and the shotgun used to bludgeon him, which was adorned with a distinctive bejeweled skull, the DA said.

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

“This sentence cannot change history and the fact that the loss of the victim’s life was both brutal and senseless,” said Tierney. “This was a violent and premeditated murder and robbery. We are gratified that the judge imposed the requested maximum sentence and hope the victim’s loved ones find some solace in the sentence.”

Lopez Cambara was represented by John Halverson and Christopher Gioe; neither immediately returned a request for comment.