Ralph Berry, Frank Lopez, Murder & Drug Trafficking, New York 2000

Two men have been charged with murder in connection with a drug trafficking crime in the Bronx, New York. Ralph Berry, 52, and Frank Lopez, 43, are accused of participating in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine that led to the death of 42-year-old Caprice Jones in 2000.

According to the indictment, on June 21, 2000, Berry handed Lopez a gun, which Lopez used to fire shots in the vicinity of 751 East 161 Street in the Bronx. Jones was hit during the shooting and died from his wounds in 2010.

Berry was arrested on Friday in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry S. Perkin. Lopez was arrested on Friday in Plano, Texas, and was taken into federal custody on Monday. He is set to be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine A. Nowak tomorrow.

The case is being prosecuted by the Office's Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Dominic A. Gentile and Maurene Comey are in charge of the prosecution.

Berry and Lopez are each charged with murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. They are also charged with murder in connection with a drug trafficking crime, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan. Mr. Berman praised the outstanding work of the NYPD and the Special Agents of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, as well as the United States Marshals Service and the Plano Police Department for their assistance with the arrests.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/two-men-charged-bronx-murder