Gorilla Stone Mafia leader John Pena guilty in killings he bragged, rapped about

A Staten Island pack person named “Tragedy” couldn’t stop bragging astir the 2 murders helium committed for the Bloods — and a national assemblage needed little than a time to find him blameworthy of the slayings.

John Pena Jr., AKA “Tragedy,” person of the Gorilla Stone Mafia, faces a mandatory beingness condemnation aft a Brooklyn Federal Court assemblage connected Tuesday recovered him guilty of each six counts against him, including racketeering and execution successful assistance of racketeering.

Pena, 32, boasted repeatedly astir the 2 murders helium committed personally successful 2021 — adjacent aft helium was locked up successful national jail, grounds astatine the Brooklyn Federal Court trial showed.

One of those repeated boasts? That helium was “Drama free,” referring to the sidesplitting of rival Mark “Drama” Bajandas.

He rapped astir some killings successful a opus called “Revenge is Glorious,” wrote astir them successful handwritten lyrics recovered successful a jailhouse cell, and bragged astir them to a chap inmate astatine the MDC Brooklyn jail.

John “Tragedy” Pena Jr.

Prosecutors said Pena did the 2 killings to regain clout aft the rival “Bugatti” pack laic discarded to his ranks with a drawstring of slayings.

He gunned down Gorilla Stone Mafia turncoat Bajandas, 26, extracurricular the Stapleton Houses connected Hill St. connected March 10, 2021 astatine a candlelight memorial for a fallen pack member, pumping much than 10 bullets into the unfortunate contempt assurances he’d beryllium harmless to be the vigil.

Pena past emerged from hiding connected June 22, 2021 to kill romanticist rival Francisco Gonzalez, 23, arsenic the doomed  Original Stacks pack subordinate slept adjacent to Pena’s ex-girlfriend successful her bed, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said 3 of Pena’s chap Gorilla Stone Mafia were killed betwixt December 2019 and April 2020, including 1 of Pena’s relatives, and the pack believed a rival crew, “Bugatti,” was down the bloodshed.

Mark “Drama” Bajandas (Court Evidence)

After Bajandas and different Gorilla Stone Mafia subordinate switched sides, Pena had to spill humor to stave disconnected a mutiny and enactment connected top, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Roddin said successful his closing argument.

“So helium needed to perform. As the godfather, helium needed to amusement that helium deserved his power. He needed to kill,” Roddin said.

The different turncoat, Jordan Taylor, took the basal astatine the Pena’s trial.

Another witness, jailhouse informant Tysheen Cooper told the assemblage past Wednesday, however Pena confided successful him and offered up details of the murders.

“I waited for him to measurement disconnected the camera… and past I spliffed him and walked disconnected similar I was John Gotti,” Pena bragged, according to Cooper — who’s cooperating with authorities aft pleading blameworthy to his relation successful a 2016 murder.

That was seemingly a notation to Bajandas’ killing, prosecutors said, and Cooper further explained, “He utilized to accidental small — similar catchphrases and worldly similar that…. One of them was, like, since the time of immoderate time the transgression happened, his beingness has been play free.”

As for the 2nd murder, Pena bragged to Cooper astir however helium broke into Gonzalez’s house, helium testified. “He utilized to accidental things like, ‘Yo, helium indispensable person been disconnected the thin (cough syrup) due to the fact that helium ne'er woke up. I gave him huffy clip to aftermath up. I stood implicit him and I watched him slumber and past I changeable him and helium ne'er woke up by — by the clip helium woke up, helium was dormant asleep,'” Cooper recounted.

Francisco “Chucky” Gonzalez (Court Evidence)

Pena’s “Revenge is Glorious” rap opus — which deed YouTube successful 2023, 2 years aft his apprehension — besides referred to doing some killings, prosecutors said. His lyrics astir Gonzalez included the line, “left his brains connected them sheets, antheral what was helium thinkin’?”

The assemblage began deliberations successful the astir two-week proceedings Monday afternoon, and by astir 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, they had their verdict.

Bajandas’ mother, Nydia Lasanta, wept aft she heard the connection “guilty” repeated successful each of the six counts. Surrounded by household members extracurricular the courtroom, she expressed alleviation astir the verdict.

“My lad was a loving kid, and we miss him truthful much. He was stolen from us,” she said.

Pena’s sentencing is acceptable for Feb. 20.

“As the grounds proved, Pena was consumed by seeking revenge against rivals and maintaining his enactment presumption successful the Gorilla Stone Mafia pack by immoderate means necessary,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said Tuesday.“Killing a antheral arsenic helium slept successful furniture and shooting different antheral with a twelve bullets are shocking examples of Pena’s ruthlessness.”

Pena’s lawyer, Sam Gregory, declined remark Tuesday.

Originally Published: September 24, 2024 astatine 1:15 p.m.