MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that a Hempstead gang member has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2015 attempted murder of a 14-year-old boy.
Manuel Sosa-Marquez, 24, was convicted by a jury on October 12 of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree (a B violent felony), Assault in the First Degree (a B violent felony), Criminal Use of a Firearm in the First Degree (a B violent felony) and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a C felony). The trial, before Supreme Court Justice Angelo Delligatti, lasted for five days and the jury deliberated for three hours.
“Manuel Sosa-Marquez gunned down an innocent 14-year old boy who was riding his bicycle near the park and left his victim a quadriplegic for the rest of his life,” DA Singas said. “With today’s sentence this gang member will now spend the next three decades of his life in prison for his reprehensible actions.”
DA Singas said on August 6, 2015, at approximately 11:50am, the 14-year-old male victim was riding his bicycle on Argyle Avenue and Davis Street in Uniondale to meet friends inside of Uniondale Park. At the same time, Sosa-Marquez pulled up on the opposite side of the street in a Blue Honda Civic and fired three shots at the victim, striking him once in the upper torso. Shell casings were found at the scene and a bullet was removed from the victim’s spine. The pistol used in the shooting was never recovered.
The gunshot wound left the victim, now 17-years-old, a quadriplegic. A doctor testified that he is never going to walk again and will eventually die from complications related to the gunshot wound. The victim, who was an avid soccer player, is currently living in a nursing home upstate and has limited use of one arm.
Sosa-Marquez is a member of the Salvadorians With Pride (SWP) street gang.
Assistant District Attorney Brittany Gurrieri of DA Singas’ Special Operations, Narcotics and Gangs Unit and Assistant District Attorney Charles Dunn of DA Singas’ County Court Trial Bureau are prosecuting this case. The defendant is represented by Brian Carmody, Esq.
###