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Carlos Portillo, age 28, also known as "Solitario" and "Pikachu," was convicted of murder on Thursday, Jan. 26 for the January 2017 murder, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
The killing was planned by seven gang members including Portillo after 19-year-old Julio Cesar Espantzay-Gonzales wore the wrong color to a known gang location before the murder.
After this perceived mistake, Kevin Granados-Coreas, who has already been sentenced to 23 years in prison for the murder, told several gang members that Espantzay-Gonzales was now an enemy. Portillo was then given an order by the leader of the Indios Locos Salvatrucha (ILS) clique of MS-13 that the 19-year-old must be killed.
Portillo then took up the role of planning the killing and instructed his fellow gang members on where and how to kill Espantzay-Gonzales. He also provided them with a car, a gun, and a machete to complete the job with, but did not participate in the actual killing.
On the day of the murder, January 28, 2017, Espantzay-Gonzales was convinced by gang members to come to the Massapequa Preserve with promises of sex and marijuana after one member pretended to befriend him.
Once they were inside the preserve, Espantzay-Gonzales was then hacked to death with the machete and shot in the face by several gang members. His body was then left under tree branches, leaves, and brush.
His body was later found nearly two months later on March 28, 2017, by a man walking his dog in the preserve.
Portillo was then arrested in July 2017. His trial began on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
The other gang members involved in the murder have either already been sentenced or are awaiting their trials:
- Kevin Granados-Coreas, who was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison;
- Antonio Cullal, who was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison;
- Raul Ponce, who was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison;
- Roberto Abrego Reyes, who is awaiting trial;
- Gerson Stanley Juarez, who is awaiting trial;
- Laura Campos, who is awaiting trial.
Portillo was convicted of second-degree murder and faces 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on Tuesday, March 7.
Donnelly commented on the case, saying, "High-ranking MS-13 member Carlos Portillo ordered the murder of an innocent 19-year-old man, simply because he wore the wrong color."
"I thank our prosecutors and the detectives at the Nassau County Police Department and New York City Police Department for their assistance in bringing this dangerous defendant to justice," she added.
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