THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) – An alleged gang member charged in the deaths of two people whose bodies were found in a burning car in the Bronx will appear in court Wednesday.
Rahul Cuya, 24, will be arraigned in Bronx criminal court in connection to the deaths of 22-year-old Jesse Parrilla and 22-year-old Nikki Huang, who were shot in the head and then set on fire in a car near the Pelham Bay and Split Rock Golf Courses in 2022.
Cuya was arrested Tuesday and is considered an accessory to the deaths, according to authorities. He's facing a slew of charges including murder, manslaughter and robbery.
"I will push my tears back and relive that day again," Michelle Morales, Parrilla's mother, told PIX11 News.
Retired PIX11 News reporter Mary Murphy spoke with Huang's mother last year.
"They burned her whole body up," Amy Chan said. "I never got to see her again."
Another suspect, Jahmel Sanders, was arrested last spring in connection to the case. Two other suspects in the case are currently serving time upstate for unrelated crimes.
Steven Santiago, who sources say is a major player in the deaths, is still at large. All of the men are alleged members of the "Down the Hill" gang, according to sources.
"There are a lot of other individuals who had a hand in this," said NYPD Detective John Soto.
The tragic sequence of events started when Huang was robbed of an expensive purse, sources said. She allegedly complained about what happened to a friend affiliated with the "Up the Hill" gang, which are rivals of the "Down the Hill" gang, according to sources.
Sources told PIX11 News that just hours after the robbery, Brandon Atkinson, an alleged affiliate of the "Down the Hill" gang, was killed in a shootout between the two gangs.
Detectives alleged that the "Down the Hill" gang members were waiting when Parrilla made his way to Huang's apartment to drop her off. Morales told PIX11 News she will not give up until there is justice for her son.
Four people are in custody in connection to the case. Santiago was indicted "in absentia" for murder, according to sources.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
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