Earlier today, Trendell Walker, also known as “Live Wire” and “Debo,” was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his involvement in the murder of 15-year-old Alvin Brothers. The sentencing took place at the federal courthouse in Central Islip before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert. Walker, a member of the Bloods street gang from Riverhead, New York, had pleaded guilty to firearm-related murder in August 2019.
The announcement was made by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office; Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York; and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner of the Suffolk County Police Department.
“Walker’s lethal act of revenge took the life of a 15-year-old child,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The resolve of law enforcement to bring Alvin Brothers’s killer to justice will, we hope, bring some semblance of closure to the victim’s parents and siblings. Gang members cannot escape the reality of today’s sentencing that no matter how long it takes, they will be held accountable for crimes of violence and the rule of law will prevail.”
“In 2007, Trendell Walker mercilessly killed Alvin Brothers in retaliation for a previous slight against his branch of the Bloods gang,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “This horrific act demonstrates the gang’s callous attitude towards humanity and the law by deeming murder as acceptable payback. May today’s sentencing offer some justice for Brothers’s family, and emphasize the FBI’s unwavering commitment to holding all gang members accountable for their lawless crimes, regardless of when they occurred.”
“Trendell Walker’s sentencing today ensures the removal of another cold-blooded killer from the streets of Long Island. With the continued investigative work of HSI New York’s Long Island office, alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to combat these senseless acts of violence here on the island and throughout the state. The people of New York deserve to feel safe in their own communities, and today’s sentencing is a step toward securing that reality,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Patel.
“The murder of this 15-year-old is a sad example of the senseless retaliation that comes from the vicious cycle of gang violence,” SCPD Commissioner Catalina stated. “This case also highlights the unwavering dedication of law enforcement to bring a killer to justice. A decade after Alvin Brothers was slain in a drive-by shooting, Trendell Walker was charged and today he learned his fate, sending a message to those who choose a life of crime that we will never give up.”
Court documents show that Walker was part of Rolling 20’s—a branch within the Bloods criminal street gang—in 2007. On August 6 that year, he traveled to Bellport intending to buy narcotics from G-Shine members—another set within Bloods—but was attacked and robbed by several G-Shine members. The following day he met with fellow Rolling 20’s members and planned retaliation against those involved in his assault. They drove armed to Bellport where they saw several young people standing on Post Avenue and Patchogue Avenue—including Brothers who stood near one person who had assaulted Walker previously—and opened fire on them; Brothers was shot fatally in his back.
Walker faced indictment on drug charges in June 2016; over ten years after Brothers’s death he was charged with murder through a second superseding indictment issued November 2017.
The prosecution is managed by Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Misorek from the Criminal Section at Long Island Division.
Walker is now 34 years old and lived in Riverhead at time events occurred.
