Bully Hard Gang Member Accused Of Killing 16-Year-Old In Poughkeepsie

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — A New York City gang member was accused of killing a 16-year-old in the city of Poughkeepsie in 2020.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced Tuesday an indictment charging 29-year-old Elijah Bermudez, a.k.a. “Quiet,” of New York, with murder in aid of racketeering, murder through the use of a firearm, racketeering conspiracy and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

The charges are in relation to the June 20, 2020, murder of a minor in the area of Charles Street in Poughkeepsie, which, according to prosecutors, was in furtherance of Bermudez’s membership in the Bully Hard Hunna Blood gang.

Williams said the Bully Hard gang is a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in murder, robberies, narcotics trafficking and fraud.

“Gangs like Bully Hard reward violence with promotions within the group, which often leads to tragic deaths, including the minor victim in this case,” he said. “We hope this investigation and prosecution brings some measure of closure to the family of Bermudez’s alleged victim.”

According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, the victim was Frederick Khabir Wells, who was shot in the back, with the bullet piercing his heart. Wells’ name was not mentioned in the indictment.

Authorities said the murder count carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. The firearm murder count carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.