A Salvadoran man has been found guilty of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of his housemate in Bay Shore last year, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced.
Darwin Josue Maldonado Vanegas, 32, was convicted following a jury trial in connection with the April 3, 2025 killing of 24-year-old Daniel Nunez-Hernandez. Prosecutors said the two men were renting separate rooms in the same home when the shooting occurred.
According to investigators, Suffolk County police responded to the residence at approximately 11:20 p.m. and discovered Nunez-Hernandez dead on a basement couch with gunshot wounds to his chest and arm. Two 9mm shell casings were recovered at the scene.
Witnesses reported hearing two gunshots earlier that morning coming from the basement. When other tenants returned home later in the day, they found the victim and called police.
Authorities said evidence placed Maldonado Vanegas at the home around the time the shots were fired. During the investigation, police recovered a magazine loaded with 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition hidden between the mattress and box spring of his bed.
Prosecutors said Maldonado Vanegas fled New York after the shooting, withdrawing a large amount of cash from his bank account. He later traveled to Atlantic City, where he stopped using his original cellphone and obtained a second device before continuing on to Miami.
He was ultimately apprehended on May 7, 2025, by Suffolk County homicide detectives working alongside the Miami Police Department.
On March 17, 2026, a jury found Maldonado Vanegas guilty of Murder in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2026, and faces a potential sentence of 32 years to life in prison.
“This verdict affirms that violence in our community will be met with firm and determined prosecution,” Tierney said in a statement.
Photo: SCDA.
