In the early morning hours of June 30, 2015, the life of 16-year-old Jonathan Cardona-Hernandez of Central Islip, New York, was violently cut short. His bullet-ridden body was discovered on Nicoll Avenue, the result of a brutal murder orchestrated by members of the notorious MS-13 street gang. Jonathan, a male teenager, became a target because members of the gang suspected he was associated with a rival group known as 'L-Block.'
On that fateful night, Jonathan was lured into a vehicle by William Castellanos and two other MS-13 members under the pretense of socializing. Unaware of the deadly plot, he was driven to a location on Nicoll Avenue and Messina Street. After exiting the car, Castellanos approached him from behind and opened fire with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Following the initial shots, his co-conspirators took turns shooting the young man with a second handgun, striking him with at least 10 bullets.
After the killing, the perpetrators fled the scene and reported the murder to MS-13 leaders, both locally and in El Salvador.
The investigation into Jonathan's death led to the arrest of William Castellanos, also known as 'Dizzy' and 'Satanico,' in May 2016 by the FBI's Long Island Gang Task Force. By the time of his arrest, Castellanos had risen to a leadership position within his MS-13 clique. He was one of several MS-13 members indicted in connection with a string of violent crimes, including multiple murders.
In February 2018, William Castellanos pleaded guilty to firearms-related murder charges in connection with Jonathan Cardona-Hernandez's death. Subsequently, in January 2019, he was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison. The sentencing judge described the murder as 'particularly ruthless,' highlighting the deceptive and brutal nature of the crime. In addition to Castellanos, other MS-13 members, including Edwin Amaya-Sanchez and Jhonny Contreras, were also charged in the indictment that included Jonathan's murder.
