Police Say Man Solicited Photos on WhatsApp from Teen. Then Victim Was Found Slain, Sexually Assaulted on Street

Mar. 15, 2025

Jonson Temaj.Photo:Jonson Temaj/Facebook

Jonson Temaj/Facebook

A man arrested after a teenager was found dead on the side of a road earlier this month is now accused of sexually abusing the minor.

Jonson Temaj, 15, was found unresponsive on a sidewalk in New Rochelle, N.Y., early in the morning of Feb. 6, the local police said ina statementat the time. He was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital.

The following day, investigators arrested 32-year-old Hugo Perez-Gabriel and a 16-year-old boy in connection with Temaj’s killing, per the statement from the New Rochelle Police Department. The 16-year-old, who is not named, is Perez-Gabriel’s nephew, police said, perPIX 11.

The two were initially charged with concealing a corpse among other offenses. On Saturday, Feb. 22, the Westchester County District Attorney’s office accused Perez-Gabriel of sexual assault of a minor in connection with photos he allegedly solicited from the victim.

Perez-Gabriel allegedly sought out sexual content from Jonson over WhatsApp just days before the teenager was found dead, the DA’s office said in their statement.

Jonson allegedly sent the suspect two videos “engaging in a sexual performance,” per the DA’s office.

Jonson is a Guatemalan native who moved to the U.S. “for a better future,” according to aGoFundMeset up to assist his family with funeral costs and returning his body back to his family.

“He was a bright and kind young man, full of dreams, and his life was taken far too soon,” read part of the fundraiser.

He was living with his uncle, Mynor Temaj, who previously toldCBS Newsthat he was at work when Jonson is believed to have died.

“I tried to call him, and then he doesn’t pick up the phone. And I tried to call other friends and I ask if it is true, and they said yes,” Mynor said, per the outlet.

“One of [Jonson’s] dreams was to open his own business,” the victim’s uncle said.

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Plea information was not available in the court records. PEOPLE has reached out to the defense attorney’s office listed in court records.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com