An illegal alien who shot two people during a New Year’s Eve celebration at a Northeast Philadelphia bar three years ago has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Alexander Murillo, 27, of Morrisville, N.C., had gone to Tom Foolery’s Bar, on the 7500 block of Castor Ave., on Dec. 31, 2008, to ring in the new year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Murillo brought a .223-caliber AR-15-style rifle to the party and fired it repeatedly into a crowd of people who were standing outside the bar.
Two patrons were each wounded three times. Both victims required medical treatment, including one who suffered serious injury from a bullet that lodged in his leg and could not be removed.
Philadelphia police arrested Murillo on Jan. 1, 2009, for attempted murder. Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement then determined that Murillo had entered the country illegally.
A federal grand jury indicted him in December 2009 on a single charge of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. Authorities did not disclose Murillo’s country of origin.
Murillo pleaded guilty to the federal charge on May 10, 2010. U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sanchez sentenced him to the maximum prison term of 120 months, plus a $1,500 fine, $100 special assessment and three years of supervised release.
Murillo still faces trial in Philadelphia on the attempted murder charges. U.S. ICE will determine Murillo’s immigration status after he completes his prison sentence. ••
