Thursday could be the anniversary that is one-year of “Junior” Guzman-Feliz’s death.
The gang-related killing of 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz twelve months ago delivered shock waves through their Bronx community, as relatives and buddies mourned the increasing loss of a “sweet kid” who had dreamed to become an authorities detective.
The NYPD arrested 14 suspects, living as much as its vow of making “no stone unturned” in the research in to the slaying of Guzman-Feliz, who was simply affectionately called “Junior.”
On June 14, the five guys accused of fatally stabbing the teenager had been discovered accountable of very very very first- and murder that is second-degree conspiracy and gang attack. Eight other suspects, that are accused of getting involved in the attack but didn’t stab Guzman-Feliz, are being tried individually. One suspect pleaded accountable within the instance and it is cooperating utilizing the prosecution.
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill has credited the arrests to your public’s “unrivaled help” as well as an “outpouring of nonstop assistance” in case.
A mural of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz on East 184th Street and Bathgate Avenue into the Bronx on July 3, 2018. Photo Credit: Marisol Diaz-Gordon
Continue reading for more information on Guzman-Feliz together with aftermath of their death.
The assault on Guzman-Feliz was evidently a full situation of mistaken identification
On June 20, 2018, surveillance movie captured men that are several Guzman-Feliz away from a bodega on East 183rd Street into the Belmont area of the Bronx and over repeatedly stabbing him into the throat and human body with knives and a machete.
After the suspects fled, Guzman-Feliz were able to run to nearby St. Barnabas Hospital, where he collapsed in the entry and passed away. The town medical examiner’s workplace stated he passed away of the stab injury to your neck and ruled his death a homicide.
Police believe the killing was associated with intra-gang violence and that Guzman-Feliz had been erroneously targeted. The teenager had left their home to offer some body $5 and encountered the suspects on his in the past house, NYPD officials stated.
The suspects, thinking the teenager had been a part of a faction that is rival of gang, chased Guzman-Feliz to the bodega after which dragged him out onto the sidewalk before stabbing and slashing him, in accordance with authorities.
Guzman-Feliz’s death quickly caught the eye of high-ranking NYPD officials, including Chief of Department Terence Monahan, who called it “among many brutal crimes” he’d ever seen. Detectives vowed to root away everybody included and hold them accountable.
Three times following the slaying, the very first suspects had been arrested. For the 14 males who will be charged, five have now been convicted of fatally stabbing Guzman-Feliz. One other nine suspects are accused to be mixed up in life-threatening criminal activity.
Here you will find the 14 suspects as well as the fees against them:
- Manuel Rivera, of this Bronx: Guilty of very very first- and murder that is second-degree conspiracy and gang attack.
- Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, associated with the Bronx: Guilty of first- and murder that is second-degree conspiracy and gang attack.
- Elvin Garcia, of Manhattan: Guilty of very very first- and murder that is second-degree conspiracy and gang attack.
- Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, of Freeport: Guilty of very first- and murder that is second-degree conspiracy and gang attack.
- Jose Muniz, of this Bronx: Guilty of very very very first- and second-degree murder, conspiracy and gang attack.
- Diego Suero, associated with Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang attack, conspiracy and possession that is criminal of tool.
- Frederick Then, of checking, Pennsylvania: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault, conspiracy and unlawful control of the gun.
- Ronald Urena, associated with the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang attack, conspiracy and criminal control of the tool.
- Luis A. Cabrera Santos, associated with Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and unlawful control of a gun.
- Danilo Payamps Pacheco, associated with the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and possession that is criminal of gun.
- Gabriel Ramirez Concepcion, for the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and criminal control of the tool.
- Jose Taverez, regarding the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and unlawful control of the tool.
- Danel Fernandez, associated with the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and possession that is criminal of tool.
- Kevin Alvarez, associated with the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and possession that is criminal of tool. He pleaded responsible and testified against five associated with the primary defendants accused of fatally stabbing Guzman-Feliz.
The murder test
Guilty – that has been the jury’s verdict from the five guys who delivered the blows that are fatal Guzman-Feliz.
The test, which started may 6, found a detailed on 14 after less than two days of jury deliberations june. Jose Muniz, Elvin Garcia, Manuel Rivera, Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago and Jonaiki Martinez Estrella were discovered bad of very very first- and murder that is second-degree conspiracy and gang assault.
The victim’s mother, Leandra Feliz, thanked God for the verdicts that are guilty. “My son had been a good kid. He had been just fifteen years old. He had been doing the greatest when you look at the educational school,” she said at a news meeting outside of the Bronx Supreme Court building.
Throughout the very very very first complete time of this test, Tamika Jones, 21, testified that she witnessed the assault from her apartment screen and shouted for Guzman-Feliz to perform to the hospital that is nearby.
“By the full time we hotbrides.org/asian-brides sign in got downstairs, he had been currently while watching medical center, collapsed,” Jones said. “He had bloodstream all over their human body. He had been wanting to remain alive, keeping their injury himself. Their words that are last water — he asked for water.”
During the second week of testimony, Feliz started“no that is screaming no, no” and crying hysterically until she ended up being escorted through the courtroom, relating to published reports.
The event apparently occurred while Alvarez had been cross-examined by a protection lawyer. Feliz told Information 12 The Bronx that her blood pressure levels rose whenever surveillance movie of her son had been played that showed Alvarez grabbing at her son after having a counter was opened by a bodega worker home near where he had been hiding.
An ambulance was called to your courthouse but she had not been taken up to a hospital, relating to published reports. She had been apparently expected to go out of the courtroom on another event for talking away during test testimony.
Guzman-Feliz’s daddy additionally apparently needed to leave the courtroom throughout a split event, after his son’s blood-soaked clothes ended up being presented as evidence.
“I saw my son’s bloody T-shirt and we never desire to notice it once more,” Lisandro Guzman told reporters outside of the courthouse.
Suspected members of the Trinitarios gang
The suspects are purported users of the Los Sures group of the Trinitarios road gang, based on the NYPD.
In the nights Guzman-Feliz’s death, the group collected at Suero’s Boston path house and planned to strike another group of Trinitarios, called Sunset, authorities stated. Suero may be the suspected frontrunner of Los Sures, according to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
The suspects piled into four automobiles and drove to your territory associated with the competing gang, come upon Guzman-Feliz and chased him to the bodega, Clark stated.
The suspects went back to Suero’s home to hide their weapons and help Garcia, whose hand was cut during the attack, according to Clark after the stabbing.
The region lawyer also dispelled past published reports that reported Guzman-Feliz was mistakenly targeted as a result of an intercourse tape with a lady linked to one of many suspects.
“As far even as we understand, at the moment, there clearly was no reference to any intercourse tape to the specific instance,” Clark said. “That was stated on social media but who has maybe perhaps not been the information and knowledge that people have actually inside our situation.”
Shea has said the Trinitarios were proven to the department before Guzman-Feliz’s death. Ever since then, police have arrested at the very least 79 purported Trinitarios members over the town, mostly on felony costs, in accordance with Shea.
“This ended up being one case that is significant Trinitarios, but we’re planning to continue steadily to target maybe maybe not just the Trinitarios but any road gang this is certainly taking part in physical physical violence in new york,” Shea included.
The NYPD connection
Before his death, Guzman-Feliz had aspired in order to become a authorities detective and ended up being an associate associated with NYPD’s Explorers system, a company that aims to show teenagers and teenagers the significance of respect, self-discipline and furthering their training through training and community solution tasks.
The NYPD additionally the Police Foundation have actually put up a scholarship honoring Guzman-Feliz. The Lesandro Guzman-Feliz Memorial university Fund will give you two $5,000 scholarships each 12 months to people of the Explorers system to be used toward tuition and college supplies upon enrollment in a certified university.