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Joon Kim, the acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the arrest of Robert Pizarro and Juan Rivera of the Bronx on multiple charges for allegedly robbing their victim at gunpoint at his auto body shop in the Bronx.
According to Kim, on Sept. 20 last year, Pizarro and Rivera robbed their victim, Robert Bishun, then kidnapped him, forcing him into his own car and driving away. Bishun's body was found several hours later in the back seat of his car. It was ultimately determined by the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City that the cause of death was strangulation.
Kim noted that on a prior occasion in 2015, Pizarro robbed the same victim at gunpoint and took approximately $10,000 in cash. The U.S. Attorney said that the arrests mark “the end of an exhaustive investigation by the DEA, NYPD and New York State Police.”
“This investigation led law enforcement through a violent series of events leading to a murder by strangulation,” DEA Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division James J. Hunt said in a statement. “The New York Drug Enforcement Task Force’s REDRUM Group and the U.S. Southern District of New York identified the alleged crimes committed by Pizarro and Rivera and worked collaboratively to arrest them today.”
Pizarro and Rivera were charged with kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping resulting in death, robbery conspiracy, robbery and firearm offenses, according to Kim. Pizarro was also charged with one count of robbery in connection to the previous incident in January 2015. Both suspects have been remanded and remain in custody.
“I applaud the hard work of our law enforcement partners on the DEA New York Drug Enforcement Task Force,” New York State Police Superintendent George Beach II stated. “Through solid police work, two suspects have been put behind bars and two dangerous men are off of our streets.
“These men not only allegedly kidnapped a man from his business, robbing him of hard earned money – but they ultimately took his life. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the Task Force, and bringing those who commit these heinous types of crimes, to justice.”
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