Man who bludgeoned 4 to death in NYC Chinatown sentenced

A Manhattan judge sentenced the man convicted of fatally beating four unhoused men with a metal bar in Chinatown to 40 years to life in state prison last Thursday.

Randy Santos, 31, was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder in February for the Oct. 5, 2019 attacks, in which he beat Chuen Kok, Florencio Moran Camano, Anthony Manson and Nazario Abdelardo Vásquez Villegas to death as they slept on the street.

Before the killings, Santos had at least six prior arrests with offenses that grew more violent over time. Eight days earlier, he had attacked a sleeping man near the Chelsea Piers waterfront in what prosecutors called a “trial run,” though the man survived.

No one appeared at the sentencing hearing to speak on behalf of the four victims. Santos, who was given the opportunity to speak before sentencing, delivered a brief apology in English and said he hoped to “be somebody” once released. Prosecutors sought 50 years to life; the defense asked for 20, with Atty. Arnold Levine pointing to Santos’ conduct during psychiatric treatment and urging the judge to find he was “not beyond redemption.”

Justice Laura Ward ultimately imposed a sentence of 40 years to life, saying she had a “difficult time getting past the fact that Mr. Santos targeted the most vulnerable people in our society.” She characterized the case as the coming together of “three horrible symptoms of this city: homelessness, mental illness and narcotics abuse.”

The 2019 killings exposed how gaps in the city’s mental health and social services can have fatal consequences for the most vulnerable. Additionally, it highlighted the risks facing Chinatown’s unhoused population and persistent shortage of culturally competent resources.

In a statement, District Atty. Alvin Bragg said, “I hope the resolution of this case serves as a reminder of the work that remains in protecting and supporting our most vulnerable residents.”

Santos’ attorneys announced plans to appeal the sentence.