What happened to Manuel de Dios Unanue? Details explored ahead of New York Homicide on Oxygen

Modified Apr 18, 2025 09:43 GMT

Manuel de Dios Unanue, a Latino journalist and social activist, was shot while having dinner at a restaurant in Queens.

New York Homicide season 3, episode 12, titled Dangerous Work, explores the murder of Manuel de Dios Unanu. The episode follows the police investigation, suspect search, and case details step by step. A joint task force was created to handle the case, and investigators worked through a long list of suspects. According to the Reporters Committee, international terrorist groups may have been involved in the murder.

The episode is set to premiere on Oxygen on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at 9 PM EST.

Manuel de Dios Unanue - All about his murder explored

Manuel de Dios Unanue's murder (Representative image via Pexels)

According to the Daily News, on March 11, 1992, around 10 PM, Manuel de Dios Unanue was sitting alone at the bar counter in a restaurant located in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. Suddenly, a man named Wilson Alejandro Mejia-Velez entered the restaurant and shot him twice in the head, resulting in his on-spot death.

The attack was carried out in a public place, leading the police and investigating agencies to believe that the murder was a premeditated conspiracy.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) immediately launched an investigation by questioning eyewitnesses and reviewing footage from the restaurant’s security cameras. Investigation authorities soon realized that Manuel's murder was not due to any personal dispute, but was related to his profession.

However, it was revealed that Cali Cartel, a Colombian drug gang, was reportedly behind Manuel's murder.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, journalist Manuel de Dios Unanue exposed the Cali Cartel's drug and money laundering operations. His reports shared key details about the cartel, making him a target.

After two years, police arrested Wilson Mejia-Velez for planning and carrying out the murder. As per Justia U.S. Law, he was convicted on March 16, 1994, under federal law 18 U.S.C. § 1958 for a contract killing and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Who is Manuel de Dios Unanue: All about his career

Manuel de Dios Unanue was born in Cuba, on January 4, 1943. In 1967, he voluntarily left Cuba and went abroad as a political refugee 1967. He settled in New York, United States, in 1973.

In 1977, Manuel entered the field of journalism and began working as a reporter for the leading Spanish-language newspaper El Diario-La Prensa. There, he wrote articles on crime, drug mafia, and corruption in society, and published several articles about major gangs involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.

The upcoming episode of New York Homocide highlights the investigation into Manuel de Dios Unanue's death, revealing connections to the Cali Cartel. It also highlights the risks faced by journalists exposing criminal activity and the pursuit of justice in high-stakes cases.

To find out more about this case, watch New York Homocide's upcoming episode Dangerous Work, which will air on Oxygen, on April 19, 2025, at 9 PM EST.

About the author

Suryansh Saraswat is an Entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Asian Academy of Film and Television. Additionally, he has a one-year diploma in Electronic Media and a three-year diploma in Dramatic Arts.

Prior to Sportskeeda, Suryansh worked as a Hindi writer at Pocket FM for a year. He also has two years of experience in filmmaking and media content creation, where he developed strong research, scriptwriting, and content production skills.

Suryansh is passionate about the entertainment industry, particularly its ability to unite people and spark conversations through movies, music, reality TV, and celebrity trends. He strives to report accurate, relevant, and ethical information by using reliable sources, cross-checking facts, staying updated, and writing responsibly.

He enjoys reading novels and plays, watching films, and pursuing photography in his free time. He is particularly fascinated by the 90s era, which he considers the golden age of Indian cinema. He especially loves films starring Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.

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