Alleged MS-13 member convicted of murder for 2021 shooting

An alleged MS-13 member was convicted on Wednesday, June 5 for the murder of an 18-year-old man in Cow Meadow Park in March 2021.

Kevin Torres, 26, also known as Sarco, was found guilty after a jury trial before Judge Tammy Robbins. He was convicted of Murder and Conspiracy.

The trial began on May 22, 2024, and the jury reached their verdict in less than an hour. Torres faces up to 25 years to life in prison when sentenced on July 10, 2024.

“Kevin Torres was instrumental in the murder of a teenage victim and conspiracy to conceal the crime,” said DA Donnelly.

“Daniel Garcia-Carbajal thought he was going to spend an afternoon partying with friends and a few girls when he was persuaded to take a drive with Torres to Cow Meadow Park. Instead, the young man was brutally murdered for social media posts that were seen by MS-13 as disrespecting the gang. NCDA has worked diligently for years to dismantle this criminal organization and will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to ensure MS-13 never regains its foothold in our communities.”

DA Donnelly explained that in the early morning hours of March 1, 2021, 18-year-old Daniel Garcia-Carbajal was lured to Cow Meadow Park under the pretense of meeting girls, through a message on Facebook Messenger.

Garcia-Carbajal was picked up in a car that afternoon and taken to the park in Freeport with Torres and other co-defendants.

Once at the park, Garcia-Carbajal was led by multiple co-defendants, including Torres, where he was fatally shot in the head.

After the murder, Torres buried the gun used in the shooting in a co-defendant’s backyard.

Garcia-Carbajal was reported missing by a family member, and his body was discovered the next day in the park. He was targeted by MS-13 due to prior social media posts.

Torres was arrested on October 26, 2021, by members of the Nassau County Police Department’s Bureau of Special Operations in Central Islip.

Deputy Chief of the Homicide Bureau, Veronica Guariglia, is prosecuting the case, while Jeffrey Groder, Esq., represents the defendant.