On a summer night in June of 2015, a violent encounter outside a Passaic, New Jersey nightclub tragically cut short the life of 22-year-old Denisse Gonzalez. In the early morning hours of June 20th, outside the Cloud 9 Lounge on Market Street, Gonzalez was caught in the crossfire of a robbery that turned deadly. The incident unfolded when a man attempted to rob 24-year-old Enpaul Cantero of his chain.
During the robbery, the assailant shot Cantero in the chest at close range. The bullet passed through Cantero and struck Gonzalez, who was standing behind him, in the heart. A third individual, a 24-year-old man, was also shot and critically wounded in the attack. Both Gonzalez and Cantero were rushed to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, but their injuries proved fatal.
The investigation into the double homicide led to the arrest of three suspects.
The primary assailant was identified as Luis Delcarmen. In a trial that concluded in early 2018, a jury found Delcarmen guilty on multiple counts, including two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder. For his role in the deaths of Gonzalez and Cantero, and the attempted murder of the third victim, Delcarmen was sentenced to 118 years in prison. Two other men, Johan Gonzalez and Augusto Solano, were also charged in connection with the fatal robbery.
