BRONX, NY – District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the indictment of Rahul Cuya, a 24-year-old Manhattan resident, for the kidnapping and murder of two individuals found in a burning car near Pelham Bay Park. The indictment includes charges of first-degree murder, multiple counts of second-degree murder, manslaughter, arson, kidnapping, criminal use of a firearm, weapon possession, robbery, and grand larceny.
On May 16, 2022, Nikki Huang and Jesse Parrilla, both 22, were kidnapped and then shot execution-style before their bodies were set ablaze in a car. The grim discovery near Shore Road painted a picture of a violent end, with the victims suffering multiple gunshot wounds and their bodies burned to an almost unrecognizable state.
The investigation links the brutal crime to a chain of events beginning on May 15, 2022, when Huang reported being robbed. Hours later, a fatal shooting occurred in Manhattan. In the early hours of May 16, Parrilla and Huang were forcibly taken in separate incidents and ultimately driven to their deaths.
Cuya was arrested on March 12, 2024, and arraigned before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Brenda Rivera, with a court return date set for June 21. The case also involves Jahmel Sanders, who was arraigned on March 9, 2023, and a search is ongoing for a third suspect involved in this heinous crime.