2 Gang Members Sentenced For Deadly East Harlem Shooting: DA

EAST HARLEM, NY — Two gang members who murdered an East Harlem man inside an apartment stairwell will each spend the next few decades of their lives behind bars, officials said following their sentencing.

Tom Ruiz, 28, and Jonathan Tolentino, 23, were sentenced on Monday, one month after a jury found them guilty of killing 26-year-old Michael Monclus in 2021, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said.

“Tom Ruiz and Jonathan Tolentino carried out the cold-blooded execution and robbery of 26-year-old Michael Monclus, hoping that they could gain status within their gang and pay back their debts. Mr. Monclus was cared for by his whole family, adored his son, and loved to help others,” Bragg Jr. said.

Both Ruiz and Tolentino were members of the Givenchy Stone Savages (“GSS”), a Blood gang subset operating in the South Bronx.

According to prosecutors, Ruiz was considered a leader in the group, known as “Top Savage,” responsible for acquiring guns, committing violence on the gang’s behalf and meeting out discipline.

Tolentino, on the other hand, was seen as a lower-ranking member seeking to ascend within the gang by engaging in violent acts, such as a prior shooting at Ruiz's direction on Dec. 27, 2020, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also said that prior to the murder, Ruiz was friends with Monclus and distributed marijuana and pills on his behalf.

In the months leading up to the murder, Ruiz and Tolentino frequently communicated about obtaining and using firearms for shootings. Specifically, Tolentino acquired a nine-millimeter firearm in the weeks preceding the murder, Bragg Jr. said.

Police records show that on May 8, 2021, Ruiz and Tolentino came up with a plan to entice Monclus to a building with no surveillance cameras in the stairwell to rob him. Ruiz told Monclus that he needed help retrieving cash owed to him.

Additionally, Ruiz fabricated a fake drug deal, claiming to know someone who could sell pills to Monclus. However, this drug deal was a pretext to compel Monclus to attend their meeting with a substantial amount of cash.

In the hours leading up to the murder, Ruiz and Tolentino discussed getting an additional gun and ammunition, although they ultimately used the 9mm gun they already owned to kill Monclus, prosecutors said.

The duo arranged for Monclus to pick them up in his car and drive them to East 99th Street under the guise of a drug deal. Upon arrival at the building, they led Monclus into the stairwell and fatally shot him twice, once in the back and once in the side, Bragg Jr. said.

After the shooting, they stole Monclus’s car and emptied it of various items, including sneakers, which Ruiz was seen wearing the next day, prosecutors said.

Tolentino also sold the gun used in the murder and bought a replacement gun, police said.

In the weeks following the murder, detectives executing a court-authorized warrant recovered live 9mm rounds and an unloaded revolver. Police also discovered that on the day of the murder, Ruiz made various internet searches on his phone, including "how long does it take a person to bleed out."

Three years later, on May 17, 2024, a jury found Ruiz and Tolentino guilty of all counts after deliberating for thirty minutes.

"I send my deep condolences to Mr. Monclus’s family, including his parents, brothers, former girlfriend and six-year-old son, who are continuing to mourn his devastating loss," Bragg Jr. said.

Court records show that both Ruiz and Tolentino were found guilty of murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Ruiz has been sentenced to 32 years to life in state prison, while Tolentino has been sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison.

"I hope today’s sentence can provide Mr. Monclus’s loved ones a sense of comfort and closure as Tom Ruiz and Jonathan Tolentino are being held accountable for their fatal actions," Bragg Jr. said.