In a shocking turn of events, Anthony Gutierrez Meza, a 25-year-old resident of Valley Stream, has admitted his guilt in the heinous murder of Estiven Abrego Gomez. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney, Gutierrez Meza, along with a group of fellow MS-13 gang members, lured and eventually killed Gomez, leaving his lifeless body to be discovered in a local park.
Gutierrez Meza's guilty plea revealed that he sought permission from Elmer Gilberto Santos Contreras, a higher-ranking MS-13 member, to carry out the killing of the 18-year-old Abrego Gomez. Contreras granted Gutierrez Meza the authority to proceed.
On the fateful night of August 19, 2016, Gutierrez Meza used Facebook Messenger to entice Abrego Gomez to Greenlawn Park, under the false pretense of smoking marijuana together. When the teenager arrived at the park in the early hours of August 20, he was met not only by Gutierrez Meza but also by Santos Contreras and six other individuals, all armed with knives, machetes, and baseball bats.
Despite Abrego Gomez's desperate attempt to flee, the group overwhelmed him in numbers and subjected him to a merciless onslaught, viciously beating him with their weapons. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office reported that the assault was so brutal that Abrego Gomez's hands were nearly severed.
Believing their victim to be dead, the perpetrators fled the scene, leaving Abrego Gomez's lifeless body behind. It was later discovered by a man walking his dogs on that same morning.
District Attorney Ray Tierney condemned the incident, describing it as a "brutal, senseless, and vicious execution" of a young man who had a promising future ahead of him. Although Gutierrez Meza's guilty plea cannot undo the tragedy or bring Abrego Gomez back, it ensures that the defendant will be incarcerated for a substantial period.
Gutierrez Meza has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and is scheduled to return to court on Tuesday, July 11, for sentencing. The District Attorney has indicated that Gutierrez Meza will likely face a prison term of up to 22 years.
It is worth noting that Gutierrez Meza had previously pleaded guilty to an attempted murder charge for plotting to kill a rival gang member in Virginia. He was already in custody at the time of the indictment for Abrego Gomez's murder.
In a separate case, Santos Contreras pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in December 2019. Another co-conspirator, Carlos Lopez Campos, pleaded guilty to the same charge in April 2021 after being apprehended out-of-state a few months earlier.