Three Central Islip men will spend decades in state prison after admitting their roles in the killing of a 39-year-old man whose body was found inside a tent off Suffolk Avenue, according to prosecutors. The victim, identified as Candido Guadalupe Saravia Martinez, was discovered in the makeshift shelter, and the sentences imposed this month range from 20 to 25 years in prison, each followed by five years of post-release supervision.
District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the outcomes in a press release reported by TBR News Media. Tierney called the attack “brutal” and said “any form of violence will not be tolerated in Suffolk County.”
According to a statement from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Suffolk County Police found Saravia Martinez’s body on February 18, 2025, inside a tent near Suffolk Avenue just east of Carleton Avenue. Investigators recovered a machete and a knife covered in blood at the scene, surveillance footage captured three people running from the tent, and the medical examiner determined the cause of death was a combination of blunt force trauma, strangulation, and a stab wound to the neck.
Sentences And Defendants
As outlined in the press release covered by TBR News Media, Jhon Lopez Campos was sentenced on March 27, 2026, to 25 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision. Julio Beltran was sentenced on February 26 to 21 years in prison plus five years of supervision, and Brayan Heredia Escobar was sentenced on February 27 to 20 years in prison plus five years of post-release supervision.
Court records and the release list the following defense attorneys: Christopher Gioe for Lopez Campos, Katherine Fernandez for Beltran, and Peter Mayer for Heredia Escobar.
Scene And Local Context
Prosecutors say the violence grew out of a revenge motive tied to an earlier altercation. According to court filings and plea allocutions, Lopez Campos admitted holding Saravia Martinez down while striking him with the handle of a machete, then handing a knife to Heredia Escobar and directing him to stab the victim.
Surveillance from nearby businesses shows the three defendants running from the tent and entering a laundromat across the street, as reported by Central Islip Daily Voice and Patch. Prosecutors also say the defendants and the victim were living without permanent addresses in the area at the time.
What The Charge Means
The men pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree, which is a Class B violent felony under New York law and carries a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison. That framework, detailed in the statute as summarized by Justia, helps explain why the prison terms in this case stretch into multiple decades.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said the case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michelle Chiuchiolo and investigated by Detective Matthew Sagistano of the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad. Tierney has framed the sentences as both accountability for the three defendants and a broader warning that such violence will not be tolerated in Suffolk County.
