Buffalo man who killed two people going to prison for 20 years

Buffalo, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney  Trini E. Ross announced today that Brandon Jonas, 39, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph M. Tripi, who handled the case, stated that Jonas shot and killed Nelson and Miguel Camacho, who were brothers, inside a residence on Niagara Street on Buffalo’s West Side. Jonas, along with co-defendants Efrain Hidalgo and Misael Montalvo, received information that the brothers might have large amounts of money or drugs and would be good targets to rob. On November 11, 2004, defendant Montalvo drove Jonas and Hildalgo to the vicinity of the Niagara Street residence. Jonas was armed with an AK-47 style rifle and Hidalgo had a baseball bat. After surveilling the residence, Jonas and Hildalgo forced their way into the residence in an attempt to rob money and drugs from the brothers. During the robbery attempt, Jonas shot and killed the Camachos. Josue Ortiz served 10 years in state prison for the murders of Nelson and Miguel Camacho. In 2015, his conviction was vacated by an Erie County Court judge based on the findings of this federal investigation.   

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Stanley Edwards, III, the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller.

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