An arrest has been made in connection with the killings of two friends: 23-year-old Nikki Huang and 22-year-old Jesse Parrilla.
According to PIX 11, Huang and Parrilla were found dead on May 16, 2022, in Parrilla’s burning Honda near the Split Rock Golf Course in the Bronx. Police say the pair had both been shot in the head before being set on fire.
NBC News New York reports that Parrilla was giving Huang a ride while trying to get her stolen purse back. Police believe that Huang may have been connected to a gang. They believe Huang and Parrilla’s deaths were the end of a night of violence between gangs that left three people dead and three people injured.
On Tuesday, police arrested 30-year-old Jahmel Sanders in the Bronx around 1:30 p.m., New York Daily News reports. A $10,000 reward was offered for information about Sanders. He and his gang associate Steven Santiago are the main suspects in Huang and Parrilla’s deaths.
“I thought it would be happy news, but it doesn’t bring my daughter back,” Amy Chan, Huang’s mother, told the Daily News. “I am happy that we’re getting somewhere.”
Parilla’s mother, Michelle Morales, also thanked the investigators.
“I want to thank the team that’s working on this, and I think the investigation is going in the right direction,” she said, according to PIX 11.
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