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Raul Ponce, also known as “Shadow,” of Hempstead, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the deaths of Bryan Steven Cho Lemus and Julio Cesar Espantzay-Gonzales; and two counts of manslaughter for the deaths of Nelson Rodriguez and Osmin Campos-Sandoval, the Nassau County DA announced.
When he is sentenced on Jan. 25, 2022, acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said that Ponce is expected to receive 32 years to life in prison.
According to Smith, Ponce was responsible for the murders of Lemus on Aug. 23, 2016, and Espantzay-Gonzales on Jan. 28, 2017.
Smith said that Lemus, a perceived enemy of MS-13, was walking his dog on Arthur Street in Uniondale when he was lured into the Massapequa Preserve. While inside the park, Lemus was allegedly killed with machetes by Ponce and other members of MS-13.
His body was not found for years until May 24, 2019, when his remains were located in a shallow grave during a canvas of the area by the Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide bureau.
Ponce and others also lured 19-year-old Espantzay-Gonzales into the woods at the Massapequa Park Preserve on the day of his murder in January 2017, with promises of sex and marijuana, Smith said.
Once in the preserve, Ponce and others hacked Espantzay-Gonzales to death with machetes. They later disposed of the body under tree branches, leaves, and other brush, which wasn’t located for nearly two months.
Ponce was arrested by the Nassau County Police Department on June 6, 2019, for the deaths of Lemus and Espantzay-Gonzales.
Smith said that on March 20, 2017, Ponce and other members of MS-13 took part in the shooting death of 39-year-old Rodriguez as he walked on Front Street after working at an area auto body shop.
Ponce, acting with his co-conspirators, had driven from Uniondale to Hempstead looking for a member of a rival gang to shoot and kill in retaliation for an assault on an MS-13 member before Rodriguez's death.
He was also charged with the death of Campos-Sandoval, who was reported missing on June 3, 2016, and whose remains were found near the Uniondale water tower on October 6, 2020.
Ponce was arrested by the Nassau County Police Department on Thursday, Nov. 11, for his role in the deaths of Rodriguez and Sandoval.
“Raul Ponce and his co-defendants participated in the tragic murders of four people, targeted because they disrespected MS-13, were perceived enemies of the gang, or were caught up in this transnational gang’s senseless, unprovoked violence,” Smith said.
“We remain committed to ridding this reprehensible violence from our communities and thank our many law enforcement partners, including the Nassau County Police Department, for their continued cooperation.”
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