MINEOLA, N.Y. (WCBS 880) -- A Long Island MS-13 member who pleaded guilty to his involvement in four gang killings in 2016 and 2017 was hit with a 32 years-to-life sentence Tuesday.
Raul Ponce, 23, of Hempstead, pleaded guilty in November to two counts of murder and two counts of manslaughter.
“Working in concert with a spiderweb of co-defendants and fellow gang members, Raul Ponce was part of an unprecedented wave of violence here in Nassau County, killing again and again in the name of MS-13,” said Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “We’ve made tremendous strides against MS-13 in the last few years, but they’re still an active and violent gang here on Long Island. This office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively prosecute gang members who threaten the safety of our communities.”
According to the DA, Ponce was behind the murders of Bryan Lemus, 18, on Aug. 23, 2016 and Julio Espantzay-Gonzales, 19, on Jan. 28, 2017.
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Lemus was a perceived enemy of MS-13, and was lured in to the Massapequa Preserve while walking his dog on Arthur Street in Uniondale.
When inside the park, officials said Lemus was killed with machetes by Ponce and other MS-13 members.
Lemus’ body was found nearly three years later in a shallow grave inside the preserve by Nassau police, officials said.
The charges also said Ponce was among those who lured Espantzay-Gonzales into the preserve with promises of sex and marijuana. They then hacked him to death and disposed of his body under three branches and leaves. His body was found by a dog walker less than two months later.
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Ponce was arrested on June 6, 2019 for the two murders.
He later pleaded guilty for his involvement in the deaths of Nelson Rodriguez and Osmin Campos-Sandoval.
According to the DA, Ponce and other gang members were part of the killing of Rodriguez, 37, as he walked on Front Street after a shift at a body shop.
Ponce drove from Uniondale to Hempstead, looking for a rival gang member to fatally shoot in retaliation for a recent assault of an MS-13 member.
Officials said despite Rodriguez not being a member of a rival gang, Pedro Rivera was ordered to kill him, shooting him once each in the head and back.
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Rivera has since been convicted in the crime, getting 50 years-to-life in prison.
Ponce was also charged for the death of Campos-Sandoval, 19, who was reported missing in June 2016. His body wasn’t found nearly four years later near the Uniondale water tower.
Officials said Campos-Sandoval went to the Hempstead area in 2016, telling family he was meeting a girl, but didn’t return.
Investigators said he was lured into a wooded area near the water tower, and was shot with a weapon provided by Ponce, as well as stabbed.
Ponce was arrested for the two manslaughters late last year.