US man found guilty of beating 4 to death in Chinatown, including HK migrant

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Associated PressFebruary 19, 2026 at 09:41 PM

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Randy Santos was found guilty of first-degree murder in New York on Thursday for the 2019 beating deaths of four homeless men in Chinatown. The victims, Chuen Kok, Anthony Manson, Florencio Moran, and Nazario Vasquez Villegas, were attacked with a metal bar while sleeping. Santos's defense argued insanity, claiming schizophrenic delusions drove him to kill, but prosecutors successfully argued that his actions demonstrated awareness of wrongdoing. The Dominican-born Santos, who is 31, showed no reaction to the verdict. The case highlighted the challenges faced by New York City in addressing homelessness, as both Santos and some of the victims were homeless.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Dominican Republic 40% Chuen Kok 60% Anthony Manson 60% Florencio Moran 60% Nazario Vasquez Villegas 60% New York 70% Chinatown ×280% Randy Santos ×490%

Keywords

murder 90% mental illness 80% randy santos 80% first-degree murder 80% chinatown 70% insanity defence 70% homelessness 70% new york 60% fatal beating 60%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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murder mental illness randy santos first-degree murder chinatown insanity defence homelessness new york fatal beating

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