(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Gerald Neal, 50, of Pennsylvania, was indicted for Murder in the Second Degree and other related charges, for allegedly shooting Terrance Mitchell, 40, a lifelong friend of Neal’s, and disposing of his body in Wyandanch.
“The indictment of this defendant in connection with the death of Mr. Mitchell demonstrates our office’s unwavering commitment to holding those who commit violent crimes accountable,” said District Attorney Tierney. “While it took time to build a case here, the detectives, assisted by our law enforcement partners, never stopped working. The passage of time did not diminish our commitment to seeking justice for Mr. Mitchell and his family.”
According to the investigation, on May 30, 2019, a sanitation worker discovered Mitchell’s body in a wooded section of Spruce Lane in Wyandanch. After conducting an autopsy, the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that Mitchell had been shot multiple times, and a .22 caliber bullet was recovered from his body.
On May 28, 2019, Mitchell was allegedly seen entering the passenger side of a maroon Honda associated with Neal in Brooklyn. Mitchell was wearing what appeared to be the identical clothing he was wearing when his body was discovered two days later in Wyandanch.
On June 5, 2019, Neal was arrested by NYPD when the U.S. Marshals Service and NYPD spotted him driving in Queens. Inside his vehicle, they allegedly found a .22 caliber pistol in the back seat, a spent .22 casing on the driver’s side floor of the vehicle, and some blood stains.
On September 22, 2025, Neal was arraigned on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro, for Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony, and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, both Class C felonies.
Justice Ambro ordered Neal remanded during the pendency of the case. Neal is due back in court on October 21, 2025, and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count. He is being represented by Keith O’Halloran, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melissa Grier of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, with the assistance of Grazia Divencenzo of the Appeals Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Micheal Repperger of the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad.