Bloods Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Cold Case Murder

 

Trendell Walker Sentenced for Killing a 15-Year-Old Victim During a Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting in 2007

At the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Trendell Walker, also known as “Live Wire” and “Debo,” a Bloods street gang member from Riverhead, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert to 30 years in prison for his role as a shooter in the August 7, 2007 murder of 15-year old Alvin Brothers.  Walker pleaded guilty to firearm-related murder in August 2019.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI) and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence.

“Walker’s lethal act of revenge took the life of a 15-year-old child,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “The resolve of law enforcement to bring Alvin Brothers’s killer to justice will, we hope, bring some semblance of closure to the victim’s parents and siblings. Gang members cannot escape the reality of today’s sentencing that no matter how long it takes, they will be held accountable for crimes of violence and the rule of law will prevail.”  

“In 2007, Trendell Walker mercilessly killed Alvin Brothers in retaliation for a previous slight against his branch of the Bloods gang,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.  “This horrific act demonstrates the gang’s callous attitude towards humanity and the law by deeming murder as acceptable payback. May today’s sentencing offer some justice for Brothers’s family, and emphasize the FBI’s unwavering commitment to holding all gang members accountable for their lawless crimes, regardless of when they occurred.”

“Trendell Walker’s sentencing ensures the removal of another cold-blooded killer from the streets of Long Island. With the continued investigative work of HSI New York’s Long Island office, alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to combat these senseless acts of violence here on the island and throughout the state. The people of New York deserve to feel safe in their own communities, and today’s sentencing is a step toward securing that reality,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Patel.

“The murder of this 15-year-old is a sad example of the senseless retaliation that comes from the vicious cycle of gang violence,” SCPD Commissioner Catalina stated.  “This case also highlights the unwavering dedication of law enforcement to bring a killer to justice. A decade after Alvin Brothers was slain in a drive-by shooting, Trendell Walker was charged and today he learned his fate, sending a message to those who choose a life of crime that we will never give up.”

According to court filings, in 2007, Walker was a member of the Rolling 20’s gang, a branch of the Bloods criminal street gang.  On August 6, 2007, Walker went to Bellport, New York, to purchase narcotics from G-Shine gang members, a different set of the Bloods.  Several G-Shine gang members attacked Walker, attempted to rob him and pistol-whipped him.  The next day, Walker met with fellow Rolling 20’s gang members and devised a plan to retaliate against his assailants.  They drove to Bellport, armed with firearms, where they observed several young people, including Brothers, standing on the corner of Post Avenue and Patchogue Avenue. Brothers was standing near one of the individuals who had assaulted Walker the previous day.  The defendant and other Rolling 20’s members opened fire on the group.  Brothers was fatally shot in the back. Walker was indicted on drug charges in June 2016; in November 2017, he was charged in a second superseding indictment with Brothers’s murder, more than a decade after the killing.