LATIN KING SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR KILLING MAN TO SEND MESSAGE TO RIVAL DRUG DEALER

Defendant Couldn’t Find Target So Shot His Friend Who Happened to Be Sitting on Stoop

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Latin King has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for killing a Bronx man who he happened upon as he sought to shoot a rival drug dealer in 2013. The defendant shot the dealer’s 21-year-old friend, to send a message to the dealer to leave his block. 

  District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant callously shot dead a young man who happened to be sitting on a stoop, as a horrific way to send a message. This sentence sends the message that anyone who commits such acts of violence could face life behind bars.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Jason DeJesus, 31, of 3662 Bronx Boulevard, was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary. He was convicted of second-degree Murder and second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon on November 3, 2017 after a two-month trial. 

 District Attorney Clark said a co-defendant Hector Rodriguez, 39, of 2240 Ryer Avenue, who was convicted of first-degree Manslaughter and Criminal Facilitation on November 8, 2017, will be sentenced on January 17, 2018. 

 According to the investigation, at about 11 p.m. on May 20, 2013, Marcos Cabral, 21, was found lying outside 287 East 162nd Street near Morris Avenue in Melrose with two fatal gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

 According to the investigation, Rodriguez, a First-Crown Latin King, was told by another gang member, Edwin Colon, that Colon was having trouble on East 162nd Street and Morris Avenue with a marijuana dealer who was selling there, and the gang had to push back.

 DeJesus, Rodriguez and Colon went to the block and DeJesus fired five shots at Cabral, who was eating Chinese takeout food on the stoop.

 Colon pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a Weapon on October 12, 2017 and will be sentenced to 11 years in prison.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Detective Al Crawford of the 44th Precinct Detective Squad and the Bronx Homicide Task Force for their work on the case.