Alleged MS-13 gang member sentenced to 9 years to life in prison in 2016 machete killing

A Hempstead man told the judge who sentenced him Wednesday to 9 years to life in prison for his role in a 2016 machete murder that he was remorseful for what he did at age 15.

"I'm very sorry and I'm going to be a better person from now on," Samuel Ponce, 20, said through a Spanish language interpreter.

Law enforcement officials have said the MS-13 gang lured Bryan Steven Cho Lemus to the Massapequa Preserve on Aug. 23, 2016, before members that included Ponce hacked the 18-year-old Uniondale man to death because of a petty dispute. The gang then buried the victim in a shallow grave, according to authorities.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Helene Gugerty said Wednesday that the case involved "one of the most vicious murders" she'd encountered during her time on the bench. She added before sentencing Ponce in Nassau County Court that she hoped he would reflect upon his actions while incarcerated and "learn from what transpired."

The sentencing followed Ponce's guilty plea in June to second-degree murder. The defendant, who used the street name "Little Chickie," had faced up to 15 years to life in prison because of his age at the time of the crime, according to authorities.

Lemus accepted an invite to smoke marijuana in the woods, not knowing MS-13 saw him as an enemy before the gang unleashed the deadly attack and hid his body, according to authorities.

After repeated searches, homicide detectives recovered Lemus' remains nearly three years later after locating a depression caused by his decomposition. The discovery followed their recovery of another MS-13 slaying victim nearby, with that investigation leading to intelligence about Lemus' similar demise.

Prosecutors said four other alleged MS-13 members, including Ponce's older brother, Raul Ponce, 23, are facing murder and conspiracy charges in connection with Lemus' slaying. They have pleaded not guilty.

The victim's family wasn't in court Wednesday, but Lemus' mother previously told Newsday he had worked construction jobs to support his family and girlfriend, who was pregnant when he went missing five summers ago.

Defense attorney Dennis Lemke said in court Wednesday that his client had accepted responsibility for taking part in the murder, adding that the young man seemed to have been "indoctrinated into this MS-13 environment by others."

The Mineola lawyer also told the judge he hoped his client would continue to pursue an education while incarcerated, and that Ponce was aware he could be deported after serving his punishment.

The El Salvador native came illegally to the United States when he was 13, and after being held by immigration authorities, was released into the custody of his father who was living on Long Island, according to Lemke.

"I believe that my client will redeem himself in his lifetime," he added after court of Ponce, who he said admits associating with MS-13 but insists he isn't a member.

Lemke previously said after Ponce's guilty plea that his client had been playing video games at home and was unaware of a plan to kill anyone before heading to the woods with others. Ponce initially acted as a lookout, before later obeying an order to strike Lemus with a machete, according to the defense attorney.

Nassau Acting District Attorney Joyce Smith said in a statement Wednesday that "Lemus' life was violently cut short when he was ambushed and murdered with machetes by Samuel Ponce and other members of MS-13." She added that prosecutors, who collaborated on the case with several law enforcement agencies, would continue the fight against gang violence.

Ponce will be eligible for parole for the first time after serving 9 years behind bars, and will be held in a juvenile lockup until he is transferred to adult prison after he turns 21, according to his attorney.