Two twin brothers are headed to prison after a Brooklyn jury found them involved in a 2021 Sunset Park lobby shooting that killed 21-year-old Jorge Sanango. Armando and Jonny Octaviano, both 25, were sentenced this month to terms ranging from five years to life, in what prosecutors describe as a targeted, gang-linked killing plotted while one brother was locked up on Rikers Island.
According to Brooklyn Eagle, Armando Octaviano of Virginia was convicted of murder, conspiracy and criminal possession of a weapon and on April 17 was sentenced to 24 years to life. His twin, Jonny Octaviano of Sunset Park, was convicted of second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced on April 1 to five to 15 years. The District Attorney's office said in court that both men were affiliated with a Brooklyn-based gang.
How the killing unfolded
As reported by amNY, the shooting happened on Oct. 1, 2021, in the lobby of a building near 46th Street and Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park. Investigators said Armando walked into the lobby and shot Sanango in the chest. Sanango was rushed to Lutheran Hospital, where he later died. Detectives used video footage along with other corroborating evidence to identify Armando as the gunman.
Prosecutors: plot hatched from Rikers
In court, prosecutors told jurors that Jonny, who was being held on Rikers Island for an unrelated case at the time, used a friendship with another inmate to help broker an alliance between his Brooklyn associates and a Manhattan crew. In the days leading up to the shooting, the brothers and their associates allegedly met and mapped out the targeted attack, the District Attorney's office said in filings and at trial, according to Brooklyn Eagle.
Third man arrested
A third person, identified in earlier coverage as 20-year-old Jessie Medina of Manhattan, was arrested in October 2022 and charged in connection with the lobby shooting, amNY reported at the time. Police charged Medina with murder and criminal possession of a weapon after their investigation into the Oct. 1 incident.
Legal notes
Armando was convicted of murder and weapons charges. Jonny was convicted of conspiracy. Kings County Supreme Court handed down sentences that reflect those verdicts and the prosecution's argument that the killing was a deliberate, gang-linked act. Prosecutors say the third defendant remains charged and that case is still ongoing.
