Alleged Gang Member Pleads Guilty To Nassau Murder, Other Shooting

HEMPSTEAD, NY — An alleged member of MS-13 pleaded guilty on Thursday to murder and other charges related to two shootings in Hempstead that occurred in 2020.

Denis Gutierrez-Marcos, 20, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He is due back in court for sentencing on March 23, and is likely to receive 20 years to life, according to officials.

“Denis Gutierrez-Marcos, an alleged MS-13 gang member, showed complete disregard for human life when he shot four men in two separate incidents in September and October 2020,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. “The defendant took one man’s life and injured three others because the victims allegedly disrespected MS-13. We are working around the clock with our law enforcement partners to neutralize this gang, which has terrorized our communities through fear and intimidation.”

According to Donnelly, just before 4 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2020, Gutierrez-Marcos was in a cab in Hempstead with two passengers and the driver. The passenger in the front seat got into an argument with a passenger in the back during the ride. When the rear passenger got out, he continued to yell at the passenger in front.

Gutierrez-Marcos, who was sitting behind the driver, leaned forward and shot the passenger through an open window, striking him in the left shoulder. Gutierrez-Marcos then told the taxi driver to leave.

A friend of the victim, Edwin Guerrero Hernandez, was sitting outside and saw the incident. Hernandez chased the taxi and attempted to open the front passenger door. Gutierrez-Marcos fired through the window again, striking Hernandez. Hernandez was transported to Nassau University Medical center where he was pronounced dead by doctors.

The second incident occurred on Oct. 23, 2020, around 10 p.m. Gutierrez-Marcos was a passenger in a car, being driven to a store. As he returned home, he saw a group of people standing outside a home on Jackson Street in Hempstead. He fired at least one shot into the group, which struck two different people — one in the arm and one in the stomach.

The person hit in the stomach suffered life-threatening injuries, but both survived the attack.

Gutierrez-Marcos fled the area after the second shooting. He was arrested by Nassau County police officers months later when he returned to Long Island.