Freeport man held without bail in fatal Hempstead stabbing

A suspect in the April stabbing death of a Freeport man was arraigned on charges Saturday after returning from hiding in Maryland, Nassau County prosecutors said.

Jorge Poshon, 29, was charged with second-degree murder in the April 10 death of Rolando Cruz, 39, stabbed outside a Hempstead bar, police said. Poshon was arrested Friday afternoon at his Freeport home on Ray Street.

At his arraignment Saturday in First District Court in Hempstead, Poshon pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail.

Cruz was killed after an argument outside El Nuevo bar on Fulton Avenue at 1:10 a.m. on April 10, police said.

Investigators at the time said three unidentified men were involved in the stabbing of Cruz, who was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead less than a half-hour after the attack.

In September, police made the first arrest in the case, charging William Lopez, 34, of Hempstead with second-degree murder. Lopez pleaded not guilty.

The investigation remains open as police search for a third suspect, a police spokeswoman said.

Prosecutors said Poshon lived in Nassau County for about a dozen years doing construction work, but the Guatemalan native fled to Maryland after the stabbing.

Officials did not provide information Saturday about when Poshon returned to New York.

With Sarah Armaghan

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.