Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Brayan Heredia Escobar, 19, of Guatemala, Jhon Lopez Campos, 18, of El Salvador, and Julio Beltran, 39, of El Salvador, were indicted for Murder in the Second Degree, for their alleged roles in the killing of 39-year-old Salvadoran national Candido Guadalupe Saravia Martinez.
“This alleged murder was brutal,” said District Attorney Tierney. “We will not tolerate such violence in Suffolk County. Violence such as is alleged here, affects us all, and we remain dedicated to holding these offenders responsible for their actions.”
According to the investigation, on February 18, 2025, Suffolk County Police discovered the body of Saravia Martinez inside a tent on the side of Suffolk Avenue, just east of Carleton Avenue in Central Islip. Saravia Martinez was found with a rope tied around his neck, under which ligature marks were visible and police observed that he appeared to have blunt force trauma to his face, and a stab wound to his neck. Each of the defendants, as well as the victim, are believed to have been living undomiciled in Central Islip.
Inside the tent, police recovered a machete, and a knife covered in blood, lying on top of the decedent’s neck. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that the victim died of a combination of blunt force trauma, strangulation, and a stab wound to the neck that lacerated his carotid artery.
Video surveillance was obtained from several businesses on Suffolk Avenue, including a laundromat located directly across the street from where Saravia Martinez’s body was found. The extensive surveillance allegedly depicts the three defendants, running from the tent after the murder and entering the laundromat.
On March 19, 2025 Lopez Campos was arraigned on the indictment before Justice Collins for Murder in the Second Degree. Justin Collins ordered Lopez remanded during the pendency of the case. Escobar is due back in court on April 23, 2025 and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count. He is being represented by Christopher Give, Esq.
On March 24, 2025 Beltran was arraigned on the indictment before Justice Collins for Murder in the Second Degree. Justin Collins ordered Lopez remanded during the pendency of the case. Escobar is due back in court on April 10, 2025 and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count. He is being represented by Katherine Fernandez, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michelle Chiuchiolo of the Homicide Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Matthew Sagistano of the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad.
