Gang Member Sentenced In 2020 Murder Of Teen In Poughkeepsie: Feds

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — A man accused of killing a 16-year-old bystander in 2020 during a rival gang dispute was sentenced Wednesday to 34 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román imposed the sentence on Elijah Bermudez, 32, of New York City, a member of a gang called “Bully Hard Hunna Blood,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

The teen victim, Frederick Wells, was fatally shot on June 20, 2020.

Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Wells was an innocent bystander who “spent his last moments running for his life, trying to escape Bermudez’s gunfire.”

“Tragically, Wells lost his life for simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Clayton said.

Bermudez’s sentencing was also for charges related to the stabbing of another teenager and for participation in crimes committed by the Bully Hard gang, prosecutors said.

Bermudez pleaded guilty in July 2024 to racketeering conspiracy, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and conspiracy to possess ammunition after a felony conviction.

The Wells murder arose out of a dispute between Bully Hard gang members and a rival group called “Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation,” prosecutors said.

On the night of the murder, there was a physical fight between members of the two groups. According to the government, Wells was not a member of either group, but was a friend and classmate of a Gorilla Stone member.

During the altercation, Bermudez stabbed Wells’ 17-year-old friend, then picked up a gun and shot Wells in the head when Wells tried to run away, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.