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Suffolk County resident Alcides Lopez Cambara, age 42, of Hampton Bays, was convicted of the murder of Marco Grisales of East Hampton on Nov. 11, 2020, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney, who announced the conviction on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
On the day of the murder, Lopez Cambara was with his then-18-year-old girlfriend, Tyara Lemus, when she received a call from Grisales asking if he could see her that night to celebrate his birthday, Tierney said.
Lopez Cambara heard this conversation and became jealous, leading him to come up with a plan to lure Grisales out to celebrate his birthday and then rob him with the help of Lemus and two other people, according to Tierney.
As part of this plot, Lemus planned a meeting with Grisales at a McDonald's in Riverhead, and once they met, she got into his pickup truck and drove with him to a nearby buffalo farm to "party." However, Lopez Cambara and the two men he had recruited, Dennis Jonathan Hernandez Abanao and an unidentified man, were waiting at the farm to rob Grisales once he arrived, Tierney said.
After Grisales and Lemus parked, Lopez Cambara and the unidentified man dragged him out of the car and bludgeoned him to death with the barrel of a shotgun, while Hernandez Abanao and Lemus stole jewelry and other valuables from his truck. After he was dead, Lopez Cambara tore a gold chain from Grisales's neck and the three men put his body into the bed of his own truck, according to Tierney.
Following this, Lopez Cambara drove Grisales's truck a short distance away from the scene and parked it on Roanoke Avenue, partially blocking the road in the process. Someone then later saw the truck blocking the road and called 911, leading police to find Grisales's body in the bed of the truck, Tierney said.
Days after the murder, Lemus used an alias to call police and give them information about the men involved in the crime. As a result of this, Lemus and Lopez Cambara were arrested and charged with the robbery and killing.
Lemus pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery, and Hernandez Abanao admitted to second-degree attempted murder for his role. Both are awaiting sentencing, Tierney said.
For his role in the killing, Lopez Cambara was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery, and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison, according to Tierney.
He will be sentenced on Friday, Jan. 13.
"The defendant and his accomplices senselessly and brutally murdered the victim on his birthday. While the defendant’s murderous jealousy and greed ensured that this victim would never celebrate another birthday, the jury’s verdict ensures that this defendant will spend his birthday in prison for many years to come," Tierney said of the crime.
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