On a cold January morning in 2015, a 19-year-old male named John Pichardo from Brooklyn was shot and killed in South Ozone Park, Queens, during what was supposed to be a marijuana deal. Pichardo was in the driver's seat of a car parked on 130th Street when the incident unfolded.
The tragic event began when Jairam C. Ali Suarez, a 26-year-old from Queens Village, entered the backseat of the vehicle with the intention of robbing Pichardo and another man, 21-year-old Wilfredo Aponte, of a
pound of marijuana. Instead of purchasing the drugs as arranged, Suarez pulled out a gun. He first shot Aponte in the upper right leg. He then turned the weapon on Pichardo, fatally shooting him in the head before fleeing the scene. Aponte survived his injuries after being transported to a local hospital.
Following an investigation, Suarez was arrested and stood trial for his crimes. In October 2017, a jury found him guilty on multiple charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree robbery, and second-degree attempted robbery. In November 2017, Jairam C. Ali Suarez was sentenced to a term of 45 years to life in prison for the murder of John Pichardo and the assault on Wilfredo Aponte.
