In the 1997 book written by Robert Jackall,The Wild Cowboys, there appears an excerpt concerning Chino’s statements to New York County District Attorney Daniel Brownell and Bronx County Assistant District Attorney Donald Hill (the excerpt does not indicate when Brownell and Hill became aware of this information).  The excerpt notes this information was disregarded by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office:

“Chino” (Ulysses Mena) also confessed to the double murder, but the bureaucratic vagaries of the criminal justice system thwarted fixing his guilt legally.  Manuel Lugo aka Supra worked for Lenny (Lenin Sepulveda) opening a spot on 2183 Vyse Avenue at 181 Street in the Fourth-Eight precinct; Wilfredo Roman worked for Supra.  Carlos Ventura the already established big man on the block, refused to stop selling his own brand of crack out of the same building.  So Supra turned to Lenny for help in persuading Ventura.  On December 30, 1990, Lenny took Rob Base, Lace and Dominican Chino up to Vyse Avenue where they waited until Supra signaled to them that Ventura had arrived on the block in his car.  Lenny asked his boys: “who’s gonna do it?” and Dominican Chino (Ulysses Mena) said: “I will.”  Chino ran over to Ventura’s car and shot Ventura in the head.  But also in the car was Marilyn Colon, Ventura’s girlfriend, seven months pregnant, terrified and wide-eyed.  So Chino shot her too.  Supra and Roman were tried for the murders in the Bronx.  Supra was convicted, Roman was acquitted.

Then Chino, in a fit of remorse, poured out his story to Mark Tebbens, Dan Brownell, and Don Hill, and even agreed to a 20-years-to-life plea to the murders.  As part of his own plea agreement, Lenny admitted his role in the murders and named Chino as the shooter.  But when the investigators contacted the Bronx District Attorney’s Office and the Four-Eight detective squad with the news, they received chilly receptions.

Were the boys from Manhattan once again trying to outshine the Bronx by unmaking a made case? (Emphasis added).

PAGE: 230-231 of the book “The Wild Cowboys” AUTHORED BY PROFESSOR ROBERT JACKALL.

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