Police

Update: Second suspect in Manorville murder held without bail

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Suffolk County Police arrested a second man and charged him with murder in relation to a body that was found burning in the Manorville woods last week.

According to SCPD, 18-year-old Orlen Soliz-Galvez was charged with murder in the second degree on Tuesday. A judge ordered Mr. Soliz-Galvez held without bail ahead of a grand jury appearance Friday for his alleged role in the “brutal” murder.

Last Thursday around 1:45 p.m., someone driving on Wading River-Manor Road called police to tell them a burning body was not far from the roadway at the Otis Pike Preserve. It was later determined that 36-year-old German Guzman of Amityville was the victim.

Orlen Soliz-Galvez. (Credit: Suffolk Police)
Orlen Soliz-Galvez. (Credit: Suffolk Police)

Twenty-one year-old Bryan Rosales-Mejia was arrested on Sunday and charged with second-degree murder in the case. He appeared in Suffolk County First District Court in Central Islip and was taken to the county jail in Riverside. No bail or bond has been set, according to jail records.

Mr. Soliz-Galvez of Amityville was arraigned in Suffolk County District Court Wednesday where he pled not guilty to a second-degree murder charge, three days after Mr. Rosales-Mejia was also arraigned.

Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Creighton told the court the defendants “brutally punched, kicked and stabbed the victim with a knife and screwdriver” until he died. She said they then dumped his body in the Otis Pike Preserve in Manorville, covered it with brush and set it on fire.

Mr. Soliz-Galvez appeared in court in a long sleeve T-shirt and athletic shorts. His attorney, Daniel Russo, entered a plea of not guilty.

Ms. Creighton said Mr. Soliz-Galvez had one prior “youth case” conviction adjudicated and has one pending case, though she could not immediately clarify what those charges were.

Police said Wednesday morning that the investigation is continuing.

Top Photo Caption: Investigators on scene at Wading River-Manor Road Thursday. (Credit: Chris Lisinski)