Man Gets 37 Years For Somers Murder

By Holly Crocco

The man who killed a teenager in a Somers apartment complex last year, also shooting the boy’s mother and brother, before leading police on a manhunt that ended in Putnam Valley, was sentenced to 37 years to life in prison last week.

In a plea deal reached in October, Fernando Jimenez, 41, pleaded guilty to shooting his girlfriend and her two sons in their Baldwin Place apartment Oct. 28, 2024. One of the sons, 15-year-old Michael Raimondi, was killed.

A Westchester County judge agreed to the plea deal earlier this year to avoid “what would be a very lengthy trial” that would make the family and victims “relive this again.” Jimenez was facing 75 years to life, with the prosecution seeking 40 years and the defense asking for 35.

Last week, Judge George Fufidio imposed a 37-year sentence.

Following Jimenez’ arrested, ICE disclosed that the Chilean national was in the country illegally, having returned to the U.S. after being deported 20 years ago.

At about 11:30 p.m. Oct. 28, 2024, 13-year-old Mattew Raimondi called his grandparents to say that his mother’s boyfriend was “hurting her.” They arrived at the residence shortly after to find Jimenez exiting the apartment.

The grandparents entered the home to find that Matthew, as well as his brother, Michael, 15, and their mother, Christina Raimondi, 38, had all been shot in the head.

Michael succumbed to his injuries, while Matthew and Christina were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Michael was a 10th-grader at Somers High School and enrolled in the Westchester County Police Department Cadet program.

New York State Police immediately began a manhunt in northern Westchester and southwestern Putnam County, which stretched into the following morning. After a 12-hour search, Jimenez was located hiding out in a real estate office near 299 Peekskill Hollow Road, Putnam Valley.

An illegally possessed handgun was also recovered.

According to Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Jimenez was arrested Aug. 11, 2004, in Tecate, Calif., and claimed he was a Mexican native with a different name. He was voluntarily deported to Mexico, but re-entered the U.S. “at some point,” per a New York Post article.

He was also arrested for drunk-driving in 2018 in Yonkers and released with a $500 fine.