Four men have been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on murder and other charges for the alleged “cruel, ruthless” beating and killing of a young mother, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Anander Henriquez, 28; Allan Lopez, 22; Jose Sarmiento, 21; and Rigel Yohairo, 20, were arraigned on Tuesday, May 11 before Queens Supreme Justice Michael Aloise on a seven-count indictment charging them with the alleged murder of 31-year-old Nazareth Claure.
The four men, all of Far Rockaway, allegedly attacked Claure with a machete and baseball bat on April 11, between 9 and 11 p.m., according to the charges.
At about 1 a.m. on April 14, Lopez, Sarmiento and Yohario were all riding in a car when police conducted a traffic stop near the Nassau Expressway at Bayview Avenue. Police then found Claure’s remains in the trunk of the car, according to Katz.
Claure, who lived in Rockaway and was a mother of an 8-year-old son, was reportedly in an “abusive” relationship with Henriquez, according to a report by the New York Daily News.
All four men are believed to be associated with the MS-13 gang, according to prosecutors.
Katz said it was a “cruel, ruthless killing.”
“A young boy is now without his mother and a community is grieving,” Katz said. “The accused are in custody and will face justice in our legal system.”
According to the district attorney, the four men were charged with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. Lopez, Sarmienot and Yohairo are also charged with concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence. Henriquez is additionally charged with aggravated criminal contempt. Lopez is also additionally charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree.
Justice Aloise ordered the accused men to return to court on July 27. If convicted, they all face up to 25 years to life in prison.
