High-Ranking Hyena Crips Gang Member Charged with the Murder of 15-Year-Old Samuel Joseph In Brooklyn

 

The 2019 Murder Was Committed in Retaliation for Gang-Related Fight Involving the Victim’s Older Brother

 An indictment was partially unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging Martial H. Amilcar, also known as “Drippy,” and a co-defendant with the murder of 15-year-old Samuel Joseph.  The indictment charges Amilcar, a senior member of the Hyena Crips gang, with killing Joseph in front of his teenage sister on February 22, 2019 as Joseph was leaving his apartment building near the Little Haiti section of Brooklyn.  Amilcar was taken into federal custody, and is scheduled to be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl.  If convicted of murder during and through the use of a firearm in relation to murder in-aid-of racketeering, Amilcar faces a potential sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), announced the arrest and charge.

“There is no crime more heinous than the killing of an innocent child.  As alleged, Amilcar and his co-defendant brazenly murdered 15-year-old Samuel Joseph in retaliation for activities this young boy had nothing to do with,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “The brutal cycle of gang violence in this district, including the violence perpetrated by members of the Hyena Crips, must be stopped.  We and our law enforcement partners are committed to that end.  It is my hope that today’s indictment brings some measure of justice for the victim’s family.” 

Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to HSI’s Violent Gang Task Force and the New York City Police Department for their outstanding work in this investigation.

“While nothing can undo the pain that Martial Amilcar and his co-defendant allegedly inflicted upon the family of Samuel Joseph, it is my hope  that by seeing him held accountable for his alleged crimes, they will be given some form of peace,” stated HSI  Special Agent-in-Charge Arvelo.  “HSI New York, along with our law enforcement partners, are dedicated to the eradication of gang violence in our communities, and we will continue to seek, apprehend, and hold accountable those who intend perpetuate such cruelty.”

As alleged in court documents, on February 22, 2019, Amilcar and a co-defendant drove to Samuel Joseph’s apartment building and waited outside until Joseph’s teenage sister arrived at the building’s entrance.  While Joseph’s sister prepared to enter the building, Samuel Joseph was walking down an internal staircase towards the building’s exit.  When Joseph’s sister opened the building door to enter, Amilcar walked into the building behind her, pulled out a gun and shot the 15-year-old boy three times at close range, killing him.

The shooting and events leading up to it were captured on security camera footage taken nearby.

Amilcar and another individual allegedly killed Samuel Joseph in retaliation for an altercation earlier that day between Amilcar’s relative, a fellow gang member, and Joseph’s older brother, a rival gang member.

The charge in the indictment is an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.