In the summer of 2021, a young man's life was cut short in a brazen daylight shooting in Queens, New York. Seventeen-year-old Eduardo Hernandez Martinez was fatally shot on July 7, 2021, in a confrontation that stemmed from a planned marijuana sale. The incident unfolded around 4:20 p.m. near Junction Boulevard in the Elmhurst neighborhood.
Surveillance footage from the area captured the events leading up to the tragedy.
Hernandez Martinez was seen meeting with 18-year-old Dennis Vassilenko of Brooklyn. The two had arranged to meet for the purpose of Hernandez Martinez selling marijuana to Vassilenko. The video showed Vassilenko leading Hernandez Martinez from their initial meeting spot to a barbershop on 40th Road. As Hernandez Martinez held out a bag of marijuana, Vassilenko produced a firearm from his backpack and shot the teenager twice in the chest at point-blank range. Emergency services rushed Hernandez Martinez to Elmhurst Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting quickly identified Dennis Vassilenko as the primary suspect. He was apprehended on July 29, 2021, by a regional fugitive task force during a raid at his Brooklyn residence. Vassilenko, who was identified as a member of the Crips 8 Trey gang, was subsequently charged with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. The investigation also led to the arrest of Stephanie Pena, a 23-year-old from Brooklyn, who was identified as the driver of the getaway car Vassilenko used to flee the scene.
Dennis Vassilenko's case went to a two-week jury trial, where he was found guilty of murder. On June 6, 2024, he was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. During his time awaiting trial on Rikers Island, Vassilenko was noted to have a history of violent behavior, including slashing multiple inmates. His accomplice, Stephanie Pena, pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution for her role in the crime and in June 2022 was sentenced to one to three years in prison.
