Erick Garcia, 22, has admitted to luring and fatally shooting a 19-year-old man during a robbery in October 2022 on Long Island, according to prosecutors. Garcia pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter for the death of Carlos Guillen.
Prosecutors stated that Garcia arranged to meet Guillen under the pretense of a harmless meetup. Once inside Guillen's car, Garcia pulled out a gun and attempted to rob the teenager. In a bid to escape, Guillen accelerated, but Garcia, still in the passenger seat, opened fire at close range, hitting Guillen. Garcia then exited the moving vehicle.
The victim, who was from Bay Shore, attempted to call 911 but crashed his vehicle. He was transported to South Shore University Hospital, where he died from a gunshot wound.
Garcia, a resident of Central Islip, fled to Florida the day after the shooting. Cellphone data reportedly placed Garcia's phone at the crime scene during the shooting and confirmed his travel to Florida the following day. He was arrested in November 2022 on a weapons charge.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney described the act as a "vicious plan with an equally vicious result," adding that the county would not tolerate such violent crime. "The defendant's plan to lure and rob the victim, Carlos Guillen, led to foreseeable violence," Tierney said.
Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced on August 6 and is expected to receive 25 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.