MINEOLA, N.Y. — A Roosevelt man has been convicted of murder and other charges in the 2022 robbery and brutal beating of a 59-year-old man behind a Hempstead restaurant, Nassau County prosecutors said.
Dennis Ray, 64, also known as “Midnight,” was found guilty on April 7, 2026, following a jury trial, of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, and second-degree robbery. Prosecutors said the attack left Jose Osma critically injured; he died nearly a year later from complications tied to the assault.
The trial began March 23, 2026, and jurors reached a verdict after approximately four and a half hours of deliberations. Ray is scheduled to be sentenced on May 12, 2026, and faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
According to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the attack occurred at about 11 p.m. on April 22, 2022, behind a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant at 162 Fulton Avenue in Hempstead. Ray and co-defendant Tyrell Guthrie allegedly carried out a violent robbery, repeatedly beating Osma.
Osma, a Copiague resident, was not found until approximately 6:30 a.m. the next morning, when a passerby discovered him unconscious. He had no identification or belongings and suffered severe skull and orbital fractures. He was transported to a hospital and initially listed as a “John Doe.”
His family, unaware of his whereabouts, filed a missing person report in Suffolk County. Osma was identified two days later at NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island.
Authorities said Guthrie was arrested near the scene with the victim’s blood on his clothing and in possession of a bloodstained jacket that Ray had worn during the attack. Ray was later arrested on May 7, 2022.
Osma remained in critical condition following the assault, slipping in and out of a coma and undergoing five brain surgeries. He died on April 30, 2023, roughly one year after the beating.
Guthrie previously pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in November 2023 and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in January 2024.
Prosecutors said the case highlighted the severity of the attack and its long-term impact, as Osma’s family endured months of medical complications before his death.
Ray remains in custody and is expected to return to court for sentencing next month.
Photo: Google Maps.
