Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Queens man sentenced to 41 years to life in 2021 delivery cyclist killing
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Apr 27, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Twitter/@workersjusticep
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Apr 27, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Queens man convicted of murdering delivery worker Francisco Villalva in 2021 was sentenced to 41 years to life in state prison on Thursday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said 40-year-old Douglas Young fatally shot the delivery cyclist inside Poor Richard’s Playground in East Harlem on the evening of March 29, 2021. At the time Gothamist reported that Villalva’s family and police said he had just finished making a delivery when Young approached him and tried to steal his bike. When Villalva refused to turn it over, Young shot and killed him, then fled. Young was later identified via surveillance videos, according to Bragg.
A jury last month found Young guilty of murder in the second degree, robbery in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
“Francisco Villalva worked hard to support his family in Mexico and dreamed of buying a home. That dream was cut short when he was callously shot and murdered while doing his job,” Bragg said in a statement. “While this sentence provides a strong measure of accountability, we can never undo this devastating tragedy, and I know his memory will continue to live on with his friends, family and community.”
Shortly after Villalva’s killing, then recently formed Los Deliveristas Unidos, a prominent delivery worker group, demanded the city grant labor protections for delivery workers, including safety provisions.
Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Worker's Justice Project – the parent organization of Los Dilveristas Unidos – said members of the group were feeling “a sense of relief and a feeling that they're finally being heard,” but there was more work to do to ensure the safety of the workers.
“Today's sentencing was a step forward for New York to start prioritizing the safety of deliveristas,’ Guallpa said. “And while we will keep mourning the deaths of Francisco Villalva, and I would say dozens of other delivery staff who have been victims of a street crime, we are still fighting to make sure that this work – food delivery – is not only a dignified job, but it's a job that has the safety protections that it deserves.”
Guallpa said preventative measures such as more safety cameras and proactive policing could help keep delivery workers safe. She added that other labor protections would also keep delivery workers from putting themselves in unnecessarily risky situations.
“The reason workers are taking these risks of traveling late night shifts is because of poverty wages, so there is a critical need to make sure that the city, now more than ever delivers a minimum pay that has been in a fourth month delay,” Guallpa said.
Young’s attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.
Tagged
queens
public safety
manhattan
Catalina Gonella
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
Neighbors had complained of traffic and loud concerts for years.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:49 p.m. ET
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Charles Lane
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
By
Samantha Max
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .