Three Men Face Lengthy Prison Sentences After Pleading Guilty in Central Islip Homeless Man’s Killing; Decades in Prison Expected

CENTRAL ISLIP – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Brayan Heredia Escobar, 20, of Guatemala; Jhon Lopez Campos, 18, of El Salvador; and Julio Beltran, 40, of El Salvador, have each pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the First Degree for their roles in the killing of Candido Guadalupe Saravia Martinez, 39, a Salvadoran national.

These defendants brutally beat, strangled, and stabbed a defenseless man, leaving him to die alone in a tent along the side of the road,” said District Attorney Tierney. “While nothing can undo this senseless act of violence, these guilty pleas ensure accountability and significant prison sentences that reflect the severity of this crime.”

According to court records and the defendants’ admissions during their guilty plea allocutions, on February 18, 2025, Suffolk County Police responded to a report of a deceased individual inside a tent located along Suffolk Avenue, just east of Carleton Avenue in Central Islip. The victim, Saravia Martinez, was found with a rope around his neck, with visible ligature marks.

Investigators observed that Saravia Martinez also suffered blunt force trauma to his face and body, as well as a stab wound to the neck. All three defendants and the victim were living undomiciled in Central Islip at the time of the incident.

Inside the tent, police recovered a machete and a knife, both covered in blood, with one weapon resting on the victim’s neck. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner later determined that Saravia Martinez died as a result of a combination of blunt force trauma, strangulation, and a stab wound to the neck.

Video surveillance obtained from multiple businesses along Suffolk Avenue, including one directly across the street from where the body was discovered, showed the three defendants fleeing from the tent after the attack and entering a nearby laundromat.

During the investigation, Lopez Campos and Beltran admitted to holding Saravia Martinez down while Lopez Campos repeatedly struck him with the handle of a machete. Lopez Campos then handed a knife to Heredia Escobar and directed him to stab the victim. The defendants stated that the attack was carried out as retaliation for an alleged altercation that occurred months earlier.

On January 7, 2026, Lopez Campos pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins to Manslaughter in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony. He faces a sentence of 25 years in state prison and is scheduled to return to court on February 25, 2026. He is represented by Christopher Gioe, Esq.

On January 8, 2026, Heredia Escobar pleaded guilty to the same charge before Justice Collins. He faces a sentence of 20 years in state prison and is due back in court on February 26, 2026. He is represented by Peter Mayer, Esq.

On January 14, 2026, Beltran pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the First Degree before Justice Collins. He faces a sentence of 22 years in state prison and is scheduled to return to court on February 23, 2026. He is represented by Katherine Fernandez, Esq.

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