Alleged MS-13 Member Charged In 2 More Murders: Nassau Police

HEMPSTEAD, NY — An alleged MS-13 gang member from Hemsptead who is already in jail on murder charges was just charged by Nassau police in connection with two other murder cases.

Raul Ponce, 23, of Hemsptead has been charged with second-degree murder in connection to a 2017 killing in Hempstead and a 2020 killing in Uniondale.

On March 20, 2017, police say Nelson Rodriguez, 37, of Hempstead, was shot multiple times outside apartments at 621 Front St. in Hempstead. Two men — Hector Lazlo, 18, and Pedro Rivera, 23, both of Hempstead — were arrested in July 2017 and both charged with second-degree murder.

The second incident involved the body of a teen that was found on Oct. 6, 2020. According to police, the body of 19-year-old Osmin Campos-Sandoval was found in a wooded area near the Uniondale Water Tower at 1:38 p.m. The area was located near Uniondale High School. When the body was found, Nassau County police said Campos-Sandoval was killed in 2016 or 2017 as a result of MS-13 violence.

Sandra Tobar Mejia, 22, Christian Rodriguez, 23, and Gerson Stanely Juarez, 24, all of Hempstead, were arrested and charged in the killing.

Ponce was previously charged with murder and conspiracy in the killing of 18-year-old Bryan Lemus in the Massapequa Preserve in 2016. Court records also show that he is facing charges of possessing contraband in prison. He is currently incarcerated in the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow.