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John Mann, age 20, of Centereach, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in Suffolk County Court on Friday, March 17, in the death of 16-year-old Henry Hernandez.
Hernandez’ skeletal remains were found wrapped in plastic bags on the property of Mann’s neighbor in March 2020, according to prosecutors. The boy’s hands and feet had been bound with duct tape, and his head and mouth were wrapped in duct tape.
DNA testing later confirmed that the remains were that of Hernandez, a former resident of Hempstead.
According to investigators, Mann and Hernandez became acquaintances in March 2019. Not long after, Hernandez went to Mann’s Centereach home, located on Jay Road, and stole his father’s truck.
On June 2, 2019, Mann lured Hernandez to a location known as the “Sand Pit,” where he duct-taped the boy and struck him repeatedly with a blunt object, prosecutors said. He then placed Hernandez’ body in a hole on his property and covered it with debris.
The remains were later moved to a plastic tub and placed on his neighbor’s property, where they were finally discovered on March 15, 2020.
“The violent end of this young victim’s life and the way his body was disposed of shows the cold-hearted and brutal nature of the defendant,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.
“What makes this murder even more sad is that the victim Henry was only 16 years old and had his whole life ahead of him.”
In court Friday, Mann pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced on Wednesday, April 19.
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