In the early morning hours of April 19, 2014, the life of 20-year-old Branden Peter Santiago was cut short in a sudden act of violence on a street in South Ozone Park, Queens. Known to some as 'Scooter Joe,' Santiago was riding his moped near the intersection of 108th Street and 103rd Avenue when a white pickup truck pulled alongside him. The driver, Sherman Manning, then 37, fired a single shot, striking Santiago in the head. The truck sped off, leaving Santiago mortally wounded in the street.
Emergency services arrived to find him lying next to his scooter; he was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
For over a year and a half, the case remained unsolved. Then, in December 2015, authorities arrested Sherman Manning in connection with the killing. He was charged with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and menacing. The motive for the shooting was believed to be a rivalry between competing drug dealers. During the investigation, a witness testified that Manning had confessed to the murder, stating he shot Santiago because he was a rival. Surveillance footage from the area also captured Manning's white truck near the scene at the time of the incident.
Manning's path to justice was not swift. His first murder trial, which began in October 2018, concluded in a mistrial the following month after the jury remained deadlocked for nine days. Despite the setback, the Queens District Attorney's office proceeded with a second trial. In May 2019, a new jury found Sherman Manning guilty of second-degree murder. The following month, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, bringing a conclusion to the long and painful ordeal for Branden Santiago's family, who had been a constant presence throughout both trials.
