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Gustavo Hernandez, age 38, and his nephews, Walter Ramirez Jeronimo, age 19, and Wilson Ramirez Jeronimo, age 18, all of Farmingdale, were indicted for murder and kidnapping in Suffolk County Court on Friday, Aug. 2.
According to prosecutors, the trio drove up to 48-year-old Juan Carlos Diaz Jeronimo as he was walking in Farmingdale on Broadhollow Road on the evening of Friday, June 21.
Video surveillance allegedly showed the men getting out of their vehicle, attacking the victim, and attempting to drag him into their car. The man briefly escaped and ran to a gas station, but they chased after him, prosecutors said.
Surveillance cameras at the gas station then captured them covering their faces before beating him and knocking him to the ground, choking him, and violently forcing him into the trunk of their car, prosecutors allege.
Investigators said the defendants drove to Belmont Lake State Park and then back to Farmingdale, where they dumped the victim’s body on a residential street.
The 48-year-old Diaz Jeronimo, of Amityville, suffered numerous injuries, including asphyxia due to neck compression, severe blunt force trauma of the abdomen, and an apparent stab wound on his upper chest, an autopsy showed.
“The allegations in this indictment are deeply disturbing. The brazen nature of this alleged crime, occurring in a public place during daylight hours, shocks the conscience and undermines our sense of community,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“This indictment is our first step in pursuing justice for Juan Carlos Diaz Jeronimo and his family.”
All three defendants are charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, and attempted kidnapping. Following their arraignment, they were jailed without bail.
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