Suffolk County Jury Convicts Salvadoran Man in Bay Shore Roommate Murder

A Suffolk County jury found Darwin Josue Maldonado Vanegas guilty of second-degree murder for fatally shooting his 24-year-old housemate inside a Bay Shore home last April, then fleeing across two states before detectives tracked him to Miami.

Maldonado Vanegas, 32, a lawful permanent resident from El Salvador, was convicted on the murder count along with second-degree and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz presided over the trial. Sentencing is scheduled for April 16, when Maldonado Vanegas faces up to 32 years to life in prison.

The killing unfolded on April 3, 2025. Witnesses in the shared Bay Shore residence reported hearing two gunshots coming from the basement earlier that day. When other tenants returned from work later that evening, they found 24-year-old Daniel Nunez-Hernandez lying on a couch in the basement and called police. Suffolk County officers responded at approximately 11:20 p.m. and found Nunez-Hernandez with gunshot wounds to his chest and arm; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators recovered two 9mm shell casings near the body. Both men had been renting separate rooms in the same house.

After the shooting, prosecutors say Maldonado Vanegas fled New York, stopping first in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he stopped using his cellphone and obtained a second phone before continuing south. According to prosecutors, he also withdrew large sums of money before reaching Miami, Florida. Members of the Suffolk County Police Department's Homicide Squad and the City of Miami Police Department arrested him in Miami on May 7, 2025, roughly five weeks after the killing.

"Today, a Suffolk County jury returned a guilty verdict against this defendant for murdering Mr. Nunez-Hernandez and then fleeing the state in an attempt to avoid responsibility," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said following the verdict. "Today's decision affirms that violence in our community will be met with firm and determined prosecution. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the jurors for their careful review of the evidence. I also want to thank Suffolk County homicide detectives and the City of Miami Police Department for assisting us in bringing this defendant to justice."

Defense attorney Donald Rollock did not immediately respond to a request for comment.