In a chilling display of brutality, two men have been sentenced to up to life in prison for the 2021 murder of 23-year-old Rafael Delossantos in Baldwin. Darin Semple, 22, from Freeport, and Devin Obleanis, 22, from Central Islip, orchestrated a plot that ended in Delossantos’ life.
According to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, Semple and Obleanis lured Delossantos to Baldwin under the pretense of a drug deal. On October 25, 2021, at around 1:51 p.m. on Victoria Street, the victim was ambushed in his vehicle by the defendants and another accomplice who remains at large.
Obleanis, using text messages, arranged the meeting with Delossantos, leading him to believe it was a routine drug transaction. However, upon arrival, Delossantos found himself at gunpoint as the assailants seized his marijuana stash. The situation quickly escalated as the perpetrators callously fired two fatal shots at Delossantos before fleeing the scene.
The gravity of their actions caught up with Semple and Obleanis when they were apprehended on December 10, 2021, by detectives of the Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide Squad and the Bureau of Special Operations on the Meadowbrook Parkway in North Merrick.
During their respective trials, Semple faced a jury and was found guilty of Murder in the Second Degree, Robbery in the First Degree, and Robbery in the Second Degree. He has been sentenced to spend a minimum of 23 years behind bars. Meanwhile, Obleanis, who pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree and Robbery in the First Degree, has been handed a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
District Attorney Donnelly expressed sympathy for the family and friends of Rafael Delossantos, whose lives have been forever altered by this senseless act of violence.
“Rafael Delossantos’ young life was snuffed out by Darin Semple and Devin Obleanis, who lured the 23-year-old to Baldwin intending to steal from him, and killed him in the process,” said Donnelly. “These defendants callously ended Rafael’s life and will spend decades in prison paying for their violence. Our thoughts remain with Rafael’s family and friends as they continue to mourn his loss.”
The investigation into the third suspect remains ongoing, promising further developments in this harrowing case.
