Centereach Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Binding Acquaintance and Beating Him to Death
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that John Mann IV, 20, of Centereach, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the premeditated fatal beating of Henry Hernandez, age 16, of Hempstead, whose skeletal remains were found in Centereach in March 2020.
“We hope this plea and sentence serves as some measure of justice for Henry Hernandez and his family,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This is a truly heartbreaking and horrific case.”
According to court documents and Mann’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on March 15, 2020, skeletal remains were discovered in a plastic tub on the property of Mann IV’s neighbor. The remains were wrapped in two separate plastic bags. When the skeletal remains were further examined, it was discovered that the hands and feet were bound with duct tape, and the head and mouth were wrapped in duct tape. DNA tests determined that the skeletal remains were that of 16-year-old Henry Hernandez.
A subsequent police investigation established that Mann and Hernandez became acquaintances in March 2019. A short time later, Hernandez went to Mann’s home located on Jay Road in Centereach and stole Mann’s father’s truck.
On or around June 2, 2019, Mann lured Hernandez to a location known as the “Sand Pit,” where he duct-taped the victim and struck him multiple times with a blunt object. Mann placed Hernandez’s body in a hole and covered it with debris. The defendant later moved Hernandez’ skeletal remains into a plastic tub and placed it on his next-door neighbor’s property, where it was ultimately recovered on March 15, 2020.
On March 17, 2023, Mann pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Anthony S. Senft, Jr., to Manslaughter in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and Tampering with Physical Evidence, a Class E felony. On June 8, 2023, Judge Senft sentenced Mann to 20 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. Mann was represented by Matthew Rosenbloom, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Francis X. Schroeder of the Homicide Bureau.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.