THREE HIGH RANKING LATIN KINGS GANG MEMBERS CONVICTED OF
MURDER IN THE TORTURE DEATH OF A YOUNG MAN WHOSE BODY WAS
DUMPED BY YANKEE STADIUM AND SET ON FIRE
Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that three Latin King gang members were found guilty of torturing and killing a Bronx man before dumping his body in a parking lot at Yankee Stadium in June 2005.
A jury deliberated for four and a half days before finding George Melendez guilty on one count of Murder in the 1st degree in the death of Dennis Rivera. Lawrence Perez and Virgilio Samo were found guilty on one count of Murder in the 2nd degree.
Melendez, 33, of 774 Fox Street, the Bronx, is facing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole when he appears before State Supreme Court Justice Martin Marcus for sentencing on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 in Part T 13. Perez, 37, of 3632 Corlear Avenue, the Bronx and Samo, 34, of 2007 Clinton Avenue, the Bronx are facing 25 years to life imprisonment when they are sentenced. Perez will appear before Justice Marcus on July 16, 2008 and Samo will appear on July 17, 2008.
Melendez, Perez and Samo, acting-in-concert, tortured and murdered Rivera in Samo’s basement apartment in a building at 2007 Clinton Avenue. The crime occurred over a period of a day and a half from the night of June 8, 2005 until sometime after midnight on June 10, 2005. The jury heard testimony that Rivera was beaten with a baseball bat, forced to drink Drano, smoke crack cocaine and snort heroin. The defendants also repeatedly shocked Rivera with currents of electricity that they ran through a wire which was tied around his genitals and big toe. Rivera was also branded in the genitals and anus with a heated hammer. The longs hours of torture ended when Rivera was strangled with a belt after his larynx was crushed when he was struck in the throat with the baseball bat. Rivera’s body was then wrapped with duct tape and plastic bags and stuffed into two laundry bags which were sewn together. The defendants loaded the body into a van and drove to a parking lot behind Yankee Stadium where the victim’s remains were dumped and set on fire.
According to testimony, Rivera was killed because Samo, who had previously been shot at but not wounded, believed that Rivera had advance knowledge of the incident but had failed to warn Samo of the planned attack. There was no evidence, however, that Rivera either knew about the shooting or was even a member of any gang.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Christine Scaccia, Director of Gang Prosecutions, and Assistant District Attorney David Lazarus of Trial Bureau 30/40.
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