Bengi Jonuel Peña-Gomez Arrested For 1st-degree Intentional Homicide In The Death Of Jovaniel Curbelo Pagan In 2020

Peña-Gomez was booked in the Milwaukee County jail for 1st-degree intentional homicide in connection with the August 2020 murder of Pagan.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

June 19, 2021

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Saturday, Bengi Jonuel Peña-Gomez, 25, was booked in the Milwaukee County jail for multiple felony counts for 1st-degree intentional homicide, 1st-degree reckless endangering safety, theft movable property of $10K-$100K including party to a crime and use of a dangerous weapon by a felon in connection with the August 1, 2020 fatal crash and murder of Jovaniel Curbelo Pagan, 21, aka, Jova Cartoon near the 1700 block of W. Mitchell Street.

Peña-Gomez is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole, if convicted for the 1st-degree intentional homicide charge, he is also facing up to 12 years and 6 months in prison and up to $25K in fines for the reckless endangering count and up to 10 years in prison including up to $25K in fines for theft and up to 5 years in prison for felon with a weapon charge.

Peña-Gomez had been a fugitive since August 2020.

According to the criminal complaint, Peña-Gomez who was driving Westbound in an SUV intentionally struck Pagan who was driving Eastbound in a moped. After striking Pagan, Peña-Gomez got out of his SUV and fled the scene.

The crash was recorded by surveillance cameras along W. Mitchell Street, according to police.

Pagan was taken to a local hospital by some witnesses of the crash. Pagan died a day later from blunt force trauma injuries, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.

Milwaukee police recovered a rifle from Peña-Gomez's SUV which had a 100 shot round drum magazine.

Apparently, Peña-Gomez's family indicated that Peña-Gomez was looking for Pagan after Pagan allegedly shot Peña-Gomez a year before.

Peña-Gomez wanted to shoot Pagan with the loaded rifle at the crash scene to finish him off, but there were too many witnesses, so Peña-Gomez fled from the scene and had been a fugitive ever since.