Repeat Violent Offender Issued Decades Long Sentence in Orange County

Over the last couple of weeks, the Orange County District Attorney's Office has been exceptionally busy with various announcements of pleas, convictions and sentencings tied to a plethora of cases that law enforcement has been working on and investigating.

One of these numerous announcements concerns a story we previously covered, regarding a multi-time violent offender in the City of Newburgh. The new announcement from the OCDA's office, effectively has brought this case to close.

Case Details

This investigation began towards the end of the 2023 calendar year and involved two primary suspects. Those suspects had been identified as Jesus Bravo and Wilmer Reyes-Bran.

According to the multiple press releases including last weeks most recent release issued by the OCDA's Office and court documents, the first incident occurred on September 21, 2023. On that day, Bravo and Reyes-Bran approached a victim in the City of Newburgh asking if he was in a known gang. Reyes-Bran pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim repeatedly in the arms, face and torso, while Bravo punched and kicked the victim while encouraging usage of the knife.

The second incident occurred on December 11, 2023 when Bravo and Reyes-Bran followed two males at a location in the City of Newburgh. Bravo then fired a gun at one of the men, who ran away. Bravo and Reyes-Bran then approached the other man where Bravo pistol whipped and Reyes-Bran kicked him.

The next incident happened just weeks later on December 30, 2023 when police officers were alerted to a ShotSpotter activation in an area of the City of Newburgh at approximately 3am. Upon officers arrival to the scene, they found an SUV with eight (8) bullet holes but no people present. Police later learned that a victim went to the hospital with a gun shot wound to the back. Surveillance video showed that Bravo fired the gun at the SUV after Reyes-Bran handed him the gun.

The final of the documented incidents occurred on February 12, 2024, when law enforcement executed a judicially-authorized search warrant at Reyes-Bran’s residence in the City of Newburgh. While searching the residence, police recovered a firearm without a serial number, and ammunition for the gun in Reyes-Bran’s pocket. Later analysis linked the firearm to the December, 2023 shootings.

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You may read our previous coverage on this investigation by following the link provided below.

Previous Coverage: Plea Deal's Announced for Pair of "Violent Repeat Offenders" in Orange County

Newburgh Violent Offenders Sentenced

The most recent announcement from the OCDA's Office confirmed the long awaited sentencing of one the primary suspects.

In the announcement issued on April 2, 2025, the suspect 24-year old Wilmer Reyes-Bran officially received his sentence of 31 total years. In total Reyes-Bran will serve 26-years in prison, which will be immediately followed by 5-years of post-release supervision.

Reyes-Bran had previously plead guilty to the crimes of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and two counts of Assault in the Second Degree.

The other suspect involved in the case, Jesus Bravo, had already received his sentencing prior to this announcement. Back in January of this year, Bravo was sentenced to a total term of 24 years. Bravo will be spending 19 of those years in prison, which will then be immidiately followed by 5-years of post-release supervision.

The press release concluded with a strong statement from D.A. Hoovler, who said that the imposed sentence closes the book on the defendants "reign of violence committed in Newburgh". Hoovler would then also add that...

Offenders such as this defendant must be removed from society for as long as possible to keep our streets safe....

Hoovler would then conclude his statement by thanking all of the law enforcement officers and personnel that worked the case and seeing it through to its end.