A lawful permanent resident from El Salvador was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after being found guilty of fatally shooting his housemate last year.
On April 3, 2025, at approximately 11:20 p.m., Suffolk County police responded to a home in Bay Shore where they discovered Daniel Nunez Hernandez’s body. Officers saw the victim had gunshot wounds to his chest and arm, and two nine-millimeter shell casings were recovered near his body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
During the investigation, law enforcement learned that Darwin Josue Maldonado Vanegas and the victim were renting separate rooms in the same house. Witnesses heard two gunshots coming from the basement of the home earlier that morning.
Later in the day, when the other tenants in the home returned from work, they discovered the body of Nunez Hernandez, 24, on a couch in the basement and called police.
Records revealed that Vanegas Maldonado had been present at the incident location earlier in the day, at approximately the same time that the gunshots were heard. Additionally, a magazine loaded with 12 rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition was recovered between the mattress and box spring of Maldonado Vanegas’ bed.
Further investigation revealed that after the murder, Maldonado Vanegas fled New York and withdrew a substantial amount of cash from his bank account. While he was in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Maldonado Vanegas discontinued using his cell phone and obtained a second cellphone. He then fled to Miami, Florida where he was apprehended on May 7, 2025, by members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad and members of the City of Miami Police Department.
On March 17, 2026, Maldonado Vanegas was found guilty after a jury trial heard before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz of the following charges:
- Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A-I felony
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C felony
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a Class D felony
On April 16, 2026, Maldonado Vanegas, 32, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Federal immigration authorities have indicated that they will seek to deport Maldonado Vanegas after he serves his sentence.
“This defendant committed a senseless and irreversible act of violence,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “He fled New York in an attempt to evade justice and our investigators worked tirelessly to locate and apprehend him, ensuring he was brought back to face the consequences of his actions. This outcome sends a clear message that those who commit murder cannot outrun accountability.”