The Nassau County prosecutor’s office on Long Island reported Wednesday that a member of the MS-13 gang was sentenced to nine years to life in prison for the machete murder of a 15-year-old teenager in 2016.
Samuel Ponce, also known as “Little Chickie,” 20 years old, pleaded guilty last June before Judge Helene Gugerty to the second-degree murder of Bryan Lemus and was convicted today, according to the prosecution statement.
It indicates that on August 23, 2016, Lemus was ambushed while walking his dog and taken to the Massapequa Reserve, a wooded area in Nassau, where he was killed by Ponce and other members of MS-13.
The MS-13 has several subgroups in Long Island, where he has been responsible for several deaths of young people.
The body of the teenager was found on May 24, 2019 in a shallow grave by police during a scrutiny of the area, the statement added.
Ponce was arrested on September 17, 2019 following the investigation.
“The prosecution continues its work to rid Nassau County of this vicious gang violence and to ensure that these dangerous individuals are removed from our streets,” Acting Prosecutor Joyce A. Smith said in the statement. EFE News
