Rolando Blanco-Duarte

A night out with acquaintances in Brooklyn ended in the death of Rolando Blanco-Duarte, a 32-year-old Hispanic/Latino man. On the evening of June 18, 2023, Blanco-Duarte was at the Black Horses Tavern with two men, Luis Cerna-Marroquin and Rodolfo Lopez. The trio later went to a building at 971 41st Street in the Borough Park neighborhood.

Inside the building, an argument broke out around 4 a.m. According to court documents, the dispute began after a night of drinking and cocaine use when Cerna-Marroquin felt that Blanco-Duarte had disrespected him by interrupting a conversation. The altercation escalated violently, with Cerna-Marroquin allegedly hitting and kicking Blanco-Duarte before retrieving a handgun. He then shot Blanco-Duarte twice, once in the back and once in the head.

Following the shooting, Cerna-Marroquin and Lopez worked to conceal the crime. They used a wheelbarrow and trash bags to move Blanco-Duarte’s body into a white SUV. They then drove from Brooklyn to a wooded area in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. There, they dumped his body and set it on fire.

Authorities in Pennsylvania discovered the burned remains at about 5:30 a.m. the same day. By July 2, the body was identified, and the New York Police Department was notified. An NYPD investigation led them to the two suspects. On July 4, 2023, police arrested Cerna-Marroquin, 27, and Lopez, 29. Both men were charged with murder.

In addition to the state murder charges, both men faced federal prosecution in the Southern District of New York for crimes related to transporting and disposing of the body across state lines. On March 11, 2024, Luis Cerna-Marroquin pleaded guilty to a federal charge of obstruction of justice. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison. As of March 2024, the federal case against Rodolfo Lopez and the state murder charges against both men were still pending.