Background: News footage of the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Hempstead, N.Y., where Jose Osma was attacked in April 2022 (News 12 Long Island). Inset (left): Dennis “Midnight” Ray (Nassau County Police Department). Inset (right): Jose Osma (Hungerford & Clark Funeral Home).
The grim tale of a New York man’s deadly assault reached a pivotal moment as a jury recently found Dennis “Midnight” Ray, aged 64, guilty of murder. Convicted on charges including second-degree murder, assault, and two counts of robbery, Ray’s actions led to the tragic death of 59-year-old Jose Osma. This verdict comes nearly four years after Osma was discovered brutally beaten behind a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Hempstead, New York.
In a statement from Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, Ray, alongside accomplice Tyrell Guthrie, was described as having viciously attacked and robbed Osma on the night of April 22, 2022. “They beat him within an inch of his life,” Donnelly remarked, outlining the severity of the assault.
Osma was found unconscious at 6:30 a.m. the following morning by a passerby. Without any form of identification, he was rushed to the hospital and admitted as a “John Doe,” suffering from multiple severe skull and facial fractures. His family, unaware of his whereabouts, reported him missing on the same day he was hospitalized, finally identifying him on April 24, 2022.
The aftermath of this brutal incident saw Osma endure an agonizing series of medical interventions. Donnelly recounted, “What followed was an endless cycle of brain surgeries, paralysis, rehab, and hospitalizations until Jose sadly succumbed to his extensive injuries a year later.” Osma passed away on April 30, 2023.
Guthrie, who admitted to first-degree manslaughter on November 9, 2023, was apprehended by Nassau County Police shortly after the assault. Found near the crime scene, Guthrie’s clothing bore bloodstains, and he was carrying Ray’s jacket, also stained with Osma’s blood. Ray was subsequently arrested on May 7, 2022, bringing closure to a case that has left a profound impact on the community.
Guthrie, who pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Nov. 9, 2023, was arrested near the scene of the crime by the Nassau County Police Department the day after the attack. At the time, he had blood on his clothes and was carrying Ray’s jacket, which was also covered in Osma’s blood. Ray was arrested on May 7, 2022.
Donnelly said Ray “showed no remorse for his violent assault, even bragging minutes after the attack about the stolen money and the heinous crime he committed to get it.”
Guthrie was sentenced in January 2024 to 18 years in prison. Ray is scheduled to be sentenced on May 12 and faces a sentence of 25 years to life.
