Dwaine Collymore, a/k/a “Twin,” admitted in federal court yesterday to murdering Carlos Vargas during a violent, botched robbery at 2466 Marion Avenue in the Bronx. The April 28, 2016, home invasion turned fatal when Collymore opened fire after the victims resisted, shooting one man in the head at point-blank range and unleashing a bullet at another who played dead to survive.
According to the indictment and statements made during the plea hearing, Collymore and an accomplice stormed an apartment where Vargas and others were selling small quantities of marijuana. What started as a robbery quickly spiraled into chaos. When the occupants fought back, Collymore used a stun device to knock Vargas down before opening fire. He shot at a second man—referred to as “Victim-2”—who dodged the bullet, fell, and feigned death to escape being targeted again.
Believing he had already killed the second victim, Collymore leaned over the defenseless Vargas and fired a single shot into his head, execution-style. There was no hesitation. No mercy. Just cold, calculated violence inside a cramped Bronx apartment now marked by bloodshed and loss. The fatal shot ended Vargas’s life and set in motion a three-year manhunt that ended with Collymore’s arrest and eventual guilty plea.
Collymore now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. He will be sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Colleen McMahon, who will weigh the brutality of the crime and the defendant’s admission of guilt. No plea deal erased the gravity of the charge: murder in furtherance of a violent crime, carrying the heaviest penalty under federal law.
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, made it clear: “Dwaine Collymore has admitted to murdering Carlos Vargas during a botched robbery. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that murderers are held to account for their crimes.” The statement echoed through the courthouse halls, a reminder that even years later, vengeance has a paper trail—and a courtroom.
The investigation was led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the NYPD’s 46th Precinct Detective Squad, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Jared Lenow and Hagan Scotten are prosecuting the case out of the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. No details were spared—only justice remains to be served.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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