In what authorities described as a tragic case of mistaken identity, 29-year-old Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla was fatally shot on the morning of January 30, 2017. The male victim was inside El Campesino deli in Central Islip, New York, at approximately 10:30 a.m. when the incident occurred. Believing Alvarado-Bonilla to be a member of the rival 18th Street gang because he was wearing a Peyton Manning jersey with the number 18, members of the MS-13 gang targeted him.
The shooting was carried
out by Mario Aguilar-Lopez, a member of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside clique of MS-13. He entered the deli and shot Alvarado-Bonilla multiple times from behind. A stray bullet struck a female employee of the deli, causing non-life-threatening injuries. Alvarado-Bonilla, a resident of Brentwood, was transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the murder led to several arrests and convictions. Mario Aguilar-Lopez pleaded guilty to murder and assault charges. The getaway driver, Jose Suarez, was also arrested and, after a retrial, was found guilty on nine counts, including racketeering and murder. He faced a mandatory life sentence. The leader of the MS-13 clique, Alexi Saenz, known as 'Blasty,' who had spotted Alvarado-Bonilla in the deli and authorized the killing, later pleaded guilty to his role in this murder and seven others.
