Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Anthony Gutierrez Meza, 25, of Valley Stream, pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the First Degree for his role in the August 2016 killing of 18-year-old Estiven Abrego Gomez.
“This was a brutal, senseless and vicious execution of a young man who had his whole life ahead of him,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This guilty plea does nothing to bring Estiven Abrego Gomez back, but it will keep the defendant in prison and away from the public for a significant prison term.”
According to the investigation and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on August 19, 2016, Gutierrez Meza lured the victim, Estiven Abrego Gomez, out of his home by Facebook messaging the victim asking to meet up to smoke marijuana at the ballfield in Greenlawn Park. Gutierrez Meza, a member of the Normandy clique of Mara Salvatrucha-13 (MS-13), had previously requested permission to kill the victim, which was granted by Elmer Gilberto Santos Contreras, a higher-ranking MS-13 gang member who did not participate in the attack.
In the early morning hours of August 20, 2016, the victim entered the park with Meza and another co-conspirator. Moments later, Lopez Campos and the other co-conspirators then entered the park walking towards the direction of the victim. The victim attempted to run away but was punched by one of the co-conspirators, causing the victim to fall to the ground.
Gutierrez Meza and the other co-conspirators proceeded to take turns hitting the victim with the bat, stabbing and slicing him with the knives, and chopping at him with the machete until they were satisfied that he was dead. The victim’s injuries were so severe, both of his hands were nearly amputated. The defendants then fled the scene and left the victim in the park.
In the early morning hours of August 20, 2016, a man walking his dogs found the victim and called 911. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the victim’s cause of death was sharp force injuries and blunt force trauma.
Suffolk County Police Department Homicide Squad Detectives conducted an extensive investigation and subsequently arrested Gutierrez Meza, Santos Contreras, and Lopez Campos, and charged them with the murder of the victim.
On December 11, 2019, Santos Contreras pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony. On April 28, 2021, Lopez Campos also pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree.
Gutierrez Meza’s trial began before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Timothy P. Mazzei. On May 30, 2023, following jury selection, Gutierrez Meza pleaded guilty before Judge Mazzei, to Manslaughter in the First Degree, a class B violent felony. He is due back in court on July 11, 2023, and will be sentenced up to 22 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. Gutierrez Meza is being represented by Ian Fitzgerald, Esq.
Notably, at the time he was indicted for the murder of the victim in this case, Gutierrez Meza was in custody in Virginia for his involvement in an MS-13 plan to execute a rival gang member. Gutierrez Meza pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder in that case.
This case is being prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Kathleen Kearon of the District Court Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Pamela J. Bloomfield of the Major Crime Bureau, with investigative assistance from Suffolk County Police Department Homicide Detective Christopher Calvacca.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.