Riverhead Man Gets 25 Years to Life for Murdering Niece's Boyfriend

A Riverhead man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after he was convicted of fatally shooting his niece’s 23-year-old boyfriend when the killer brought a gun to a fistfight.

Suffolk County Judge Richard I. Horowitz sentenced Brent Henry on Nov. 7, when the 61-year-old gunman was also ordered to complete five years of post-release supervision. A jury had found Henry guilty of second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the death of Ines Reyes of East Patchogue.

“When the defendant senselessly murdered Mr. Reyes, he robbed him of a future,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said. “We hope that today’s sentence brings a small measure of closure to his loved  ones.”

Prosecutors said Henry and Reyes got into a confrontation that turned into a fist fight at the Bellport home of the victim’s girlfriend, Henry’s niece, on Aug. 18, 2023. Henry later followed the victim to another home in East Patchogue, where he repeatedly shot Reyes with a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun in front of his girlfriend, authorities said.

The victim was taken to Long Island Community Hospital, where he died of his injuries. Henry was arrested the next day.