Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that an alleged MS-13 gang member was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison after his conviction for the murder of an 18-year-old man in March 2021.
Kevin Torres, 26, a/k/a Sarco, was convicted June 5, 2024, after a jury trial before Judge Tammy Robbins of Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony); Conspiracy in the First Degree (an A-I felony); and Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a B felony).
The trial began on May 21, 2024, and the jury deliberated for less than an hour before delivering their verdict.
The defendant was sentenced today to 25 years to life in prison. NCDA recommended a sentence of 40 years to life in prison.
“Daniel Garcia-Carbajal trusted that Kevin Torres was just trying to show him a good time, heading to Cow Meadow Park for an afternoon of partying with friends,” said DA Donnelly. “But he sadly put his trust in the wrong people, and because of Daniel’s social media posts, which were taken as disrespectful to MS-13, he was ambushed, shot, and killed by the defendant and his co-conspirators. NCDA will continue to aggressively prosecute cases involving this dangerous street gang to protect our communities from their violence.”
DA Donnelly said in the early morning hours of March 1, 2021, 18-year-old Daniel Garcia-Carbajal was lured to Cow Meadow Park with the promise of meeting up with girls through a message sent to him on Facebook Messenger.
The victim was picked up in a car that afternoon and taken to Cow Meadow Park in Freeport with Torres and other co-defendants.
Garcia-Carbajal entered the park with multiple co-defendants – including Torres – where he was shot once in his head causing his death.
After the murder, Kevin Torres was given the gun used in the shooting and buried it in a co-defendant’s backyard.
A family member reported Garcia-Carbajal missing and his body was found the following day in the park. The victim was a perceived enemy of MS-13 because of previous social media posts.
Torres was arrested on October 26, 2021, by members of the Nassau County Police Department’s Bureau of Special Operations in Central Islip.
Deputy Chief Veronica Guariglia is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Bureau Chief Jared Rosenblatt of the Homicide Bureau and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Kevin Higgins. The defendant is represented by Jeffrey Groder, Esq.