NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A Bronx man was convicted Monday on murder and other charges for his part in a botched Queens home invasion, that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old man in 2016.
Jose Pichardo, 27, of Creston Avenue, was found guilty of murder in the second degree and two counts of burglary in the first degree.
According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Pichardo broke into a home on 110th Street in South Richmond Hill with three others around 2 a.m. on Nov. 30, 2016.
The group had been told that the occupant of the home had a stash of Xanax pills, marijuana and cash inside.
When the group entered, they found Eddie Ventura playing video games with two others, the DA said. Pichardo's co-defendant, Khalil Moses – who was armed with a knife – confronted Ventura and stabbed him multiple times in the back and thigh.
Ventura died as a result of the stab wounds.
"Following a nearly two-week-long trial, a jury found this defendant guilty of murder in the death of a young man, who was playing video games when he was suddenly attacked in a friend's home," Katz said. "This defendant participated in a horrible act of violence. He now faces a lengthy term of incarceration when sentenced by the Court."
Moses pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree and was sentenced to 21 years in prison in September 2020. Pichardo's brother, John, who also participated in the burglary, pleaded guilty to burglary in the first degree and was sentenced in July 2020 to 15 years in prison.
Pichardo is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 26. He faces up to 25 years-to-life in prison.
