3 Men Robbed, Killed Queens Drug Dealer, Body Left In U-Haul Van: DA

QUEENS, NY — Three men have been indicted after they drove to Queens and robbed two drug dealers, and murdering one in the back of a U-Haul van in January, according to prosecutors.

Jerome Waters, 23, Calvin Israel, 23, and William Barnett, 27, are accused of kidnapping, robbery and fatal shooting the victim on January 24, prosecutors said.

Barnett still remains at large.

The trio drove to Queens from Maryland and met with the two drug dealers at a stash house under the guise of buying marijuana.

Waters and Barnett pulled out guns and held up the two victims. The men tied up the victims and forced them into the back of a Jeep and a U-Haul van at gunpoint.

At the same time, the trio stole 30 pounds of marijuana from the stash house.

One of the victims, Julian Mejias, was shot to death multiple times in the head while in the U-Haul van, prosecutors said.

After the shooting, the three men fled back to Maryland, prosecutors said.

“As alleged, the defendants’ premeditated robbery and kidnapping that resulted in a violent death, demonstrates the significant threat of guns and drugs in our communities,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said. “This Office continues to work nonstop with our law enforcement partners to hold these drivers of violent crime accountable and remove their means to wreak havoc.”

If convicted, Waters, Israel, and Barnett each face mandatory sentences of life in prison.