Hampton Bays man gets 25 years to life for robbery, murder

A Hampton Bay man was sentenced Monday to 25 years to life in prison for his role in the 2020 robbery and murder of a romantic rival from East Hampton, Suffolk County prosecutors said.

Alcides Lopez Cambara, 42, who was also sentenced to five years of post-release supervision, was convicted last month of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery.

“This sentence cannot change history and the fact that the loss of the victim’s life was both brutal and senseless,” said Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “This was a violent and premeditated murder and robbery."

John Halverson, Lopez Cambara's Patchogue-based defense attorney, said he plans to appeal.

"Although we respect the jury's decision, we disagree with it," Halverson said. "We don't believe their main witness was credible."

Lopez Cambara was with his girlfriend, Tyara Lemus, then 18, on Nov. 18, 2020, when she received a call from the victim, Marco Grisales, 34, who told her it was his birthday and that he wanted to see her, prosecutors said. Lopez Cambara heard the conversation, became jealous, and devised a plan to rob Grisales with the help of Lemus, Dennis Jonathan Hernandez Abanao and another unidentified male, authorities said.

After Lemus and the victim met at a Riverhead McDonald's, they drove together to a Riverhead farm to continue celebrating, prosecutors said.

Lopez Cambara, Hernandez Abanao and the other man were already at the farm, preparing to rob Grisales, officials said. The three men then dragged Grisales out of the car and bludgeoned him to death with the barrel of a shotgun, prosecutors said. 

Hernandez Abanao and Lemus stole jewelry and other valuables from Grisales' car while Lopez Cambara tore a gold chain from the victim’s neck, according to evidence at trial.

The three men then put Grisales' body in the bed of his pickup truck, prosecutors said. Lopez Cambara parked the truck a short distance away, partially blocking a roadway, officials said. A passerby called 911 to report a disabled vehicle and responding Town of Riverhead Police Department officers discovered Grisales’s body in the bed of the truck, prosecutors said.

In the days after the murder, Lemus, using an alias, called police and provided information about the murder and later testified at trial about Lopez Cambara's involvement in the murder. Police also recovered the victim's jewelry and the shotgun used to kill Grisales, authorities said.

Lemus pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery while Hernandez Abanao pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder. Both are awaiting sentencing.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.