Gunman In 1995 Murders Of 2 E Harlem Teens Arrested, Police Say

EAST HARLEM, NY — A Bronx man is facing charges for the murders of two East Harlem teenagers more than 20 years ago, police said.

Ramon Solla, 45, was arrested Thursday on two counts of murder for the 1995 shootings of Ricky Santiago and Christopher Toro, police and federal officials said. Solla, who was 21 at the time of the murders, is accused of killing the two teenagers as part of a conspiracy to sell more than one kilogram of heroin, according to a federal indictment unsealed on Thursday.

Both Santiago and Toro were 17-years-old at the time of the shooting, police said. Solla is accused of shooting both of them on the roof of a building on East 105th Street between Second and Third avenues on the night of March 3, 1995.

"For more than two decades, the families of Ricky Santiago and Christopher Torro have been waiting for justice. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the FBI and the NYPD, Ramon Solla will now face justice for his alleged role in the brutal murder of two teenage boys," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement.

If convicted on both charges, Solla is facing mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.