In the early morning hours of January 11, 2016, a tragic event unfolded in the South Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, New York, forever altering the lives of the Nieves family. Frankie Nieves, a 50-year-old father, was at his home on Peconic Street, helping his five-year-old daughter get ready for school. Suddenly, two men armed with a handgun and a stun gun forced their way into the residence in a botched home invasion.
Downstairs, Frankie's brother, Edgar, confronted the intruders.
A struggle ensued, and Edgar managed to escape the house and run for help. As he fled, he heard a single gunshot from inside the home. Upstairs, in an act of senseless violence, one of the intruders had shot Frankie Nieves once in the chest at close range. Emergency services were called, and Frankie was rushed to a nearby hospital, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the murder led police to identify one of the suspects as Freddie Salgado, a 41-year-old man from Brooklyn. A crucial piece of evidence left at the scene, a red hat, contained DNA that matched Salgado's profile in the New York State DNA Databank. Security camera footage also captured Salgado and his accomplice fleeing the scene in a white BMW. Salgado fled to Miami, Florida, but was apprehended a week after the murder in the same getaway car.
Freddie Salgado was extradited back to Queens to face charges for the murder of Frankie Nieves. After a two-week trial in April 2019, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, criminal possession of a weapon, and second-degree assault. In August of that year, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. While one perpetrator was brought to justice, Salgado's accomplice was never identified or apprehended.
