United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Michael Alfonso, and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today the arrest of WILLIAM ANTONIO SOLIS, a/k/a “Vegano,” a/k/a “La Vega,” in connection with the June 21, 1993, execution-style murders of Luis Guerrero and his wife, Danis Sime, in the Bronx. SOLIS was arrested earlier today in Tampa, Florida, by HSI agents and is expected to be presented later this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Saxe Griffin in the Middle District of Florida. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain.
“For more than 30 years, this Bronx double murder has haunted a family and the people of New York,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “That ends today. This Office always will pursue perpetrators of violence, and time is no bar to our investigation and prosecution of these horrific crimes. We will always pursue justice for victims in New York and elsewhere.”
“The defendant in this case allegedly executed two New Yorkers in cold blood over 30 years ago, right in front of their three-year-old child,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “Today’s indictment sends a clear message: the NYPD will always work to make sure criminals are held accountable, no matter how long it takes or how far they may run. This long-term investigation underscores the tireless efforts of our NYPD investigators, in collaboration with our partners at HSI, who were undeterred in solving these brutal murders. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for its partnership in bringing these charges.”
“As alleged, William Solis spent decades hiding in plain sight more than a thousand miles from where he viciously murdered the Guerreros in front of their young child,” said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso. “This arrest is the result of years of meticulous investigative work by dedicated special agents and task force officers who refused to let this case go cold. Regardless of the time that has passed or the distance traveled, HSI New York, together with the Southern District of New York and the NYPD, will stop at nothing to ensure those responsible for senseless violence face justice on behalf of New Yorkers.”
As alleged in the Indictment, other documents filed in federal court, and statements made in public court proceedings:[1]
On or about June 21, 1993, SOLIS and two co-conspirators participated in the planned robbery of Guerrero, a narcotics supplier, at an apartment in the Bronx. During the course of that robbery, SOLIS and his co-conspirators restrained Guerrero, took his drugs, then lured his wife, Danis Sime, into the apartment, where she too was overpowered and bound. SOLIS then executed both victims by shooting them in the head. The murders were carried out in the presence of the victims’ three-year-old child.
SOLIS, 62, of Tampa, Florida, is charged with intentional killing while engaged in a narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison or death.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of HSI’s Violent Gang Task Force, the NYPD, and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Clayton also thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, HSI Tampa and the Tampa Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
