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John Mann IV’s sentencing was announced by the Suffolk County District Attorney on Friday, June 9, for beating teen Henry Hernandez to death. He will spend the next 20 years in prison for the incident.
Mann, of Centereach, had previously pleaded guilty in March 2023.
According to Mann’s guilty plea and court documents, Hernandez’s skeletal remains were found wrapped in two plastic bags in a plastic tub on Mann’s neighbor’s property.
Further examination of the remains showed that Hernandez had his hands and feet bound with duct tape.
His head and mouth were also wrapped with duct tape.
Investigation revealed that the two knew each other, becoming acquaintances in March 2019.
Shortly after, Hernandez went to Mann’s Jay Road home and stole Mann’s father’s truck.
Then, on June 2, 2019, Mann lured the victim to a location known as the “Sand Pit,” where he duct-taped Hernandez’s body and hit him multiple times with a blunt object.
Mann put his victim’s body in a hole and covered it with debris. He later moved the teen’s remains into the plastic tub, which he placed on his neighbor’s property, where it wouldn’t be discovered for another nine months.
“We hope this plea and sentence serves as some measure of justice for Henry Hernandez and his family,” said District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
“This is a truly heartbreaking and horrific case.”
He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence.
Mann’s 20-year sentence will be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
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