In a tragic turn of events, 17-year-old Harold Sermeno of Far Rockaway was found deceased on the morning of Tuesday, December 18, 2018. His body was discovered in a picnic area behind the Five Towns Community Center in Lawrence, where he had been attending an alternative school program after being suspended from Lawrence High School. An autopsy revealed that the young man had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators determined that the shooting had likely occurred late on Monday night, December 17, 2018.
The investigation into Sermeno's death quickly revealed a sinister plot rooted in gang violence. Authorities reported that Sermeno had been lured to the community center under the false pretense of a romantic encounter with a 13-year-old girl. This girl was allegedly acting as bait in a scheme orchestrated by members of the MS-13 street gang. The motive for the killing was reportedly that Sermeno had shown disrespect to the gang during a phone call. This incident was part of a violent string of events, as the same gang was implicated in another murder that had occurred just two days prior. In that case, 23-year-old Ian Cruz was also allegedly lured to his death by the promise of sex and drugs.
Once at the picnic table with the teenage girl, Sermeno was ambushed by several other individuals who had been lying in wait. He was shot multiple times in the head and chest with a. 22 caliber revolver by a man identified as Yonathan Sanchez, also known as 'Turbo'. Another assailant, Elmer Gutierrez, also known as 'Revolver,' reportedly attacked Sermeno with a machete. Following the brutal attack, the assailants fled to an apartment in Far Rockaway.
A swift and collaborative investigation by the Nassau County Police Department and the New York City Police Department led to the apprehension of several suspects just days after the murder. Authorities arrested Yonathan Sanchez, Carlos Guerra, and Elmer Gutierrez, all identified as members of the Normandie clique of MS-13. Two juvenile males and one juvenile female were also taken into custody in connection with the crime. A search of the Far Rockaway apartment where the suspects gathered resulted in the recovery of the. 22 caliber revolver used in both Sermeno's and Cruz's murders, as well as the machete used in the attack on Sermeno.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of justice for Harold Sermeno and the other victim. Yonathan Sanchez pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 34 years to life in prison. Carlos Guerra pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter and two counts of second-degree conspiracy, receiving a sentence of 28 years in prison. Elmer Gutierrez pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of conspiracy and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. One of the juvenile males, who was 15 at the time of the murders, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and was expected to be sentenced to 8 1/2 years to life in prison. The cases against the other two juveniles were also pending.
