A Roosevelt man has been convicted of murder in a brutal 2022 robbery and beating behind a Hempstead Chuck E. Cheese that left a Copiague man with catastrophic brain injuries. The victim, 59-year-old Jose Osma, survived repeated brain surgeries and months of rehabilitation before dying about a year after the assault.
Dennis Ray, 64, was found guilty by a jury on counts of murder, assault and robbery. He faces 25 years to life in prison, and jurors deliberated for roughly four and a half hours before returning the verdict, according to News 12 Long Island.
According to the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, the attack happened at about 11 p.m. on April 22, 2022, behind the Chuck E. Cheese at 162 Fulton Avenue in Hempstead. Prosecutors say Ray and co-defendant Tyrell Guthrie beat Osma during a robbery; Osma was found the next morning with numerous skull and orbital fractures and later underwent multiple brain surgeries before succumbing to his injuries, per the DA's office.
Guthrie was arrested near the scene while holding a jacket stained with the victim’s blood and later pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Jan. 29, 2024, according to reporting from Patch.
Legal process and next steps
The case was prosecuted by the Nassau County DA’s Homicide Bureau; Senior Litigation Counsel Stefanie Palma and Senior Assistant District Attorney Joseph Grasso handled the matter, the office said. Ray is represented by attorney Joseph Lo Piccolo, and sentencing will be set following the usual post-verdict procedures, according to the Nassau County District Attorney's Office.
Osma’s family initially filed a missing-persons report after he was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island as an unidentified “John Doe,” and they were able to reconnect with him days after the assault. The Nassau County Police Department investigated the attack and the DA’s office prosecuted the case, as detailed by News 12 Long Island.
