On a spring evening in Newburgh, New York, 15-year-old Jeffrey Zachary was talking with friends across the street from his home on Dubois Street when his life was tragically cut short. It was May 6, 2008, when a car drove by and shots were fired, striking and fatally wounding the teenager. Jeffrey, a student at South Jr. High School and a member of the Zion Lions Basketball Team, was rushed to St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His family believes he was not the intended target. Tragically, this was the second son his mother, Melanie Zachary, had lost to a drive-by shooting; his older brother, Trent, was killed in 2005.
The investigation into Jeffrey's murder quickly led law enforcement to suspects with ties to the Latin Kings street gang. Authorities determined the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, part of a violent retaliation against the rival Bloods gang. Police arrested 16-year-old Joshua Torres of Beacon and 21-year-old Daniel Correa of Newburgh. Investigators identified Torres as the driver of the vehicle and Correa as the shooter. The car and the murder weapon were later recovered in a parking lot on Smith Street in Newburgh.
In January 2009, a jury found Daniel Correa guilty of murder. During the trial, Joshua Torres testified against Correa in exchange for a sentence of probation and time served. On April 1, 2009, an Orange County Judge sentenced Correa to 25 years to life in prison. The case was also part of a larger federal crackdown on gang activity in Newburgh. A superseding indictment charged 31 members and associates of the Newburgh Latin Kings with a variety of federal crimes, including Jeffrey's murder.
Further legal proceedings targeted the leadership of the Latin Kings. Wilson Pagan, also known as 'King Gunz,' and Jose Lagos, known as 'King Gordo,' were charged with ordering the shooting that resulted in Jeffrey's death. In a six-week jury trial, Pagan was found guilty of the murder of Jeffrey Zachary and a host of other charges including racketeering and drug trafficking. He, along with another high-ranking member, Christian Sanchez, faced mandatory life sentences. The extensive investigation, dubbed 'Operation Black Crown,' utilized confidential informants and undercover officers to dismantle the violent gang's operations in the city.
