Quantcast

Link suspected between MS-13 and fatal Dec. 26 attack

By Stephen Stirling

According to court documents, Jose Balmore Rodriguez, 21, Jose Rodriguez, 19 and Santos Rodriguez, 19, all of 63 Allen Dr. in Great Neck, were each charged with murder in January in the Dec. 26. beating and stabbing death of 35-year-old Domingo Hernandez in Admiral Park.Rosana Juarez Avalos, 16, was also charged with manslaughter for her alleged role in the crime, court papers show.Hernandez, of 251-20 Northern Blvd., was found beaten and stabbed to death in Admiral Park near the intersection of Little Neck Parkway and 42nd Avenue on the morning after Christmas, police said.Adelfa Rodriguez, 28, also of 63 Allen Dr. in Great Neck, was also arrested in the case on witness tampering charges, after she allegedly threatened a witness to the crime with serious bodily harm.It was not known whether the four Rodriguez defendants are related. A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said the five accused in the crime were being looked at as members of Mara Salvatrucha 13, a street gang with a sizable presence in Nassau County.Mara Salvatrucha 13, or MS-13, is an El Salvador-based gang known for committing ruthless acts of violence.Authorities said MS-13 has been growing in significance around the country in recent years, but the gang probably avoids New York City because of the strong police presence. Law enforcement sources said for this reason, while pockets of MS-13 are believed to exist in the 109th, 103rd and 113th precincts, the gang is more prominent in areas like Nassau County and parts of New Jersey, where police coverage is not as widespread.Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said that on Dec. 26, Avalos allegedly called Hernandez and asked him to meet her in Admiral Park in Little Neck. Brown said Jose Balmore Rodriguez, Jose Rodriguez and Santos Rodriguez waited for Hernandez at the park, and when he arrived, allegedly stabbed, punched, kicked and bludgeoned him with a baseball bat, killing him.In what may be a curious coincidence, a man named Jose R. Rodriguez of 62 Allen Dr. in Great Neck – one number away from the address of the trio with the same last name who are accused of the murder – was charged in June 2006 with the rape, sodomy and robbery of a young mother at the former site of Patrick's Pub in Little Neck.Prosecutors said Rodriguez approached the woman around 11:30 p.m. on June 14, 2006, in the vicinity of 252-12 Northern Blvd., put a knife to the woman's throat and forced her into the building, where he allegedly raped and sodomized her. The suspect took $200 from the woman before he fled, according to police.Authorities said after the victim refused to testify in the case, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and was sentenced to time served.The Queens DA said despite the similar names and addresses, it does not at this time appear the cases are linked.Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at Sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.