A New York jury has convicted 64-year-old Dennis 'Midnight' Ray of second-degree murder in the 2022 beating death of 59-year-old Jose Osma. The attack occurred behind a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Hempstead, where Ray and accomplice Tyrell Guthrie robbed and severely beat Osma. Ray faces 25 years to life at his sentencing on May 12.
Dennis 'Midnight' Ray was found guilty on Tuesday of second-degree murder, assault, and two counts of robbery. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly stated that Ray and Tyrell Guthrie robbed Jose Osma and beat him 'within an inch of his life' on the night of April 22, 2022, behind the Chuck E. Cheese in Hempstead, New York. Osma was discovered unconscious by a passerby at 6:30 a.m. the next day, with no identification, and treated as a 'John Doe' at the hospital for multiple skull and facial fractures. His family reported him missing that day, and he was identified on April 24, 2022. Donnelly described the aftermath: an 'endless cycle of brain surgeries, paralysis, rehab, and hospitalizations' until Osma died from his injuries on April 30, 2023. Tyrell Guthrie, arrested near the scene the day after the attack with blood on his clothes and Ray's bloodied jacket, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on November 9, 2023. He received an 18-year prison sentence in January 2024. Ray was arrested on May 7, 2022. Donnelly noted that Ray 'showed no remorse,' even bragging shortly after the attack about the stolen money and the crime. Ray's sentencing is set for May 12.