Blotters: Reid pleads guilty, sentenced to 20 years
Marcus Reid of Riverhead, 24, was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision, after pleading guilty to manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon in the fatal shooting of Branzel Bonner, 25, of Riverhead, in December 2021, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“Today’s sentence brings justice to Mr. Bonner’s family and also removes this dangerous defendant from our streets in Suffolk County,” Mr. Tierney said. “Anyone threatening the safety of our neighborhoods, particularly with gun violence, will be held accountable.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions, Mr. Reid, while making his guilty plea, said the shooting took place in the woods behind 50 Middle Country Road in Coram.
Mr. Reid fired multiple rounds from a semiautomatic .40 caliber handgun at the ground below Mr. Bonner’s feet, demanding that he hand over a fanny pack. When Mr. Bonner refused, Mr. Reid repeatedly shot Mr. Bonner in the torso and then attempted to remove the fanny pack from his motionless body, with no success.
Instead, Mr Reid removed the contents of the pack and fled the scene.
Mr. Bonner was pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Hospital within an hour of the shooting.
On Feb. 7, 2024, before acting Supreme Court Justice Stephen Braslow, Mr. Reid pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, a Class B felony, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a class C felony.
In Riverhead Town police news:
• Stanley Lawrence, age and address unavailable, was charged March 5 with third-degree burglary and petit larceny at the Walmart on Route 58. Additional information was not available.
• A Riverhead woman told police March 3 that an unknown person used her bank information to open a Roku account and removed $200 from her account.
• Basir Radpour, age and address unavailable, was charged with petit larceny following his arrest March 7 at Target on Route 59, according to police.
• Jose Chamale Puluc, age and address unavailable, was charged with driving while intoxicated March 8 on East Main Street, according to police.
• Three cases of petit larceny were reported at the TJ Maxx store on Route 58 on March 8. Police did not indicate the value of the stolen items.
• Monica Morville, age and address unavailable, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance following her arrested Friday on Howell Avenue in Riverhead. Additional information was not available.
• Nole Ortis Cruz, age and address unavailable, was charged with DWI on Fishel Avenue in Riverhead Saturday. Additional information was not available.
• Steven Ribaudo, address and age unavailable, was charged with petit larceny Saturday morning at Walmart on Route 58, according to police.
• Juan Ortiz Gonzalez, age and address unavailable, was charged with DWI early on March 10 on Pulaski Street. Additional information was not available.
• Jennifer Saldana, age and addition unavailable, was charged with aggravated DWI Monday after being pulled over on West Main Street near the former Spicy’s store. The arrest took place just after midnight, according to police.
A Flanders man was charged with driving while intoxicated Sunday, March 10, after being pulled over by Southampton police in Hampton Bays. .
At about 730 p.m. at the corner of County Road 105 and Flanders Road in Flanders, police stopped a vehicle for committing multiple vehicle and traffic law violations, according to police.
Police said Eduar Montes-Fuentes of Flanders, 20, was speeding, had two non-working tail lights and changed lanes without signaling.
Upon further investigation and interview of the driver, it was determined that Mr. Montes-Fuentes was intoxicated. He was charged with misdemeanor DWI and several vehicle and traffic violations.
Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.
