3rd charged in death of man found in Massapequa Preserve, cops say

Nassau County police have arrested a third suspect who they believe played a role in the homicide of a man whose body was found in the Massapequa Preserve in March.

Police said Thursday that they arrested Laura Christina Campos, 28, of Bladensburg, Maryland, and charged her with second-degree murder. She will be arraigned Friday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Authorities believe Campos is connected to the death of Julio Cesar Gonzales-Espantzay, 19, of Valley Stream.

Police found the man’s body on March 23 in the Peter J. Schmitt Massapequa Preserve. Gonzales-Espantzay’s body was found by a man walking his dog in the preserve, police said. The body was found with several cuts and blunt-force trauma to the upper body and head.

Two other suspects have been charged with Gonzales-Espantzay’s death. Nassau police arrested Carlos Portillo, 22, of Hempstead in July and Kevin Granados-Coreas, 19, of Rosedale, Queens, in August. Both men were gang members of MS-13 and were charged with second-degree murder, police said.

After arresting Granados-Coreas, Det. Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of Nassau police’s Homicide Squad, said investigators believe that there were “possibly others involved.”