Justice for ‘Junior’: where in fact the Lesandro Guzman-Feliz murder instance appears now

Thursday may be the anniversary that is one-year of “Junior” Guzman-Feliz’s death.

The gang-related killing of 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz 12 months ago delivered shock waves through their Bronx community, as relatives and buddies mourned the increased loss of a “sweet kid” who had imagined 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 had been affectionately called “Junior.”

On June 14, the five guys accused of fatally stabbing the teenager had been discovered bad of very very first- and second-degree murder, conspiracy and gang assault. Eight other suspects, that are accused of involved in the attack but didn’t stab Guzman-Feliz, are increasingly being tried individually. One suspect pleaded accountable into the full situation 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 Street that is 184th and Avenue into the Bronx on July 3, 2018. Picture Credit: Marisol Diaz-Gordon

Continue reading for more information on Guzman-Feliz plus the aftermath of their death.

The assault on Guzman-Feliz had been evidently a full situation of mistaken identification

On June 20, 2018, surveillance movie captured men that are several Guzman-Feliz out of a bodega on East 183rd Street into the Belmont element of the Bronx and over repeatedly stabbing him into the throat and human anatomy with knives and a machete.

After the suspects fled, Guzman-Feliz were able to run to nearby St. Barnabas Hospital, where he collapsed during the entrance and passed away. The town medical examiner’s workplace stated he passed away of a stab injury to the neck and ruled their death a homicide.

Police think the killing had been associated with intra-gang violence and that Guzman-Feliz had been erroneously targeted. The teenager had kept their household to provide some body $5 and encountered the suspects on their long ago house, NYPD officials stated.

The suspects, thinking the teenager ended up being a part of the faction that is rival of gang, chased Guzman-Feliz in to the bodega after which dragged him out onto the sidewalk before stabbing and slashing him, based on authorities.

Guzman-Feliz’s death quickly caught the interest of high-ranking NYPD officials, including Chief of Department Terence Monahan, whom called it “among many brutal crimes he’d that is seen. Detectives vowed to root every person out included and hold them accountable.

Three days following the slaying, the very first suspects had been arrested. Of this 14 guys who’re charged, five are convicted of fatally stabbing Guzman-Feliz. One other nine suspects are accused to be active in the crime that is deadly.

Here you will find the 14 suspects and also the costs against them:

• Manuel Rivera, of this Bronx: Guilty of very very very first- and murder that is second-degree conspiracy and gang attack.
• Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, for the Bronx: Guilty of very very first- and murder that is second-degree conspiracy and gang attack.
• Elvin Garcia, of Manhattan: Guilty of first- and murder that is second-degree conspiracy and gang attack.
• Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, of Freeport: Guilty of very very first- and second-degree murder, conspiracy and gang assault.
• Jose Muniz, regarding the Bronx: Guilty of very very first- and second-degree murder, conspiracy and gang attack.
• Diego Suero, for the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang attack, conspiracy and possession that is criminal of weapon.
• Frederick Then, of browsing, Pennsylvania: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault, conspiracy and possession that is criminal of tool.
• Ronald Urena, associated with the Bronx: Charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang attack, conspiracy and possession that is criminal of tool.
• Luis A. Cabrera Santos, associated with the Bronx: Charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and unlawful control of the gun.
• Danilo Payamps Pacheco, for the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and unlawful control of a gun.
• Gabriel Ramirez Concepcion, regarding the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and unlawful control of the gun.
• Jose Taverez, for the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and unlawful possession of the gun.
• Danel Fernandez, for the Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and criminal control of a tool.
• Kevin Alvarez, associated with Bronx: faced with second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang attack and criminal control of the weapon. He pleaded bad and testified against five for the primary defendants accused of fatally stabbing Guzman-Feliz.

The murder trial

Guilty – that has been the jury’s verdict contrary to the five males whom delivered the deadly blows to Guzman-Feliz.

The trial, which started may 6, stumbled on an in depth 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 had been discovered responsible of very very very first- and second-degree murder, conspiracy and gang attack.

The victim’s mother, Leandra Feliz, thanked God when it comes to verdicts that are guilty. “My son had been a kid that is good. He was just fifteen years of age. He had been doing the most effective into the educational school,” she said at a news meeting outside the Bronx Supreme Court building.

Throughout the very first complete time for the test, Tamika Jones, 21, testified that she witnessed the assault from her apartment screen and shouted for Guzman-Feliz to operate to the hospital that is nearby.

“By the time we got downstairs, he had been currently while watching medical center, collapsed,” Jones said. “He had bloodstream all over their human anatomy. He had been attempting to remain alive, keeping their injury himself. His words that are last water — he asked for water.”

Through the second week of testimony, Feliz started screaming “no, no, no” and crying hysterically until she had been escorted through the courtroom, according to published reports.

The event apparently occurred while Alvarez had been cross-examined by way of a protection lawyer. Feliz told Information 12 The Bronx that her blood pressure levels rose whenever surveillance video clip of her son was played that showed Alvarez grabbing at her son after a bodega worker exposed a countertop home near where he had been hiding.

An ambulance ended up being called towards the courthouse but she had not been taken fully to a medical center, according 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 dad additionally apparently had to keep the courtroom within a split yourbrides.us/asian-brides reviews event, after their son’s blood-soaked clothes ended up being presented as evidence.

“I saw my son’s t-shirt that is bloody I never desire to notice it once again,” Lisandro Guzman told reporters outside of the courthouse.

Suspected people in the Trinitarios gang

The suspects are purported people in the Los Sures group of the Trinitarios road gang, in accordance with the NYPD.

In the nights Guzman-Feliz’s death, the team collected at Suero’s Boston path house and planned to strike another group of Trinitarios, called Sunset, authorities stated. Suero may be the leader that is suspected of Sures, according to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.

The suspects piled into four vehicles and drove towards the territory for 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 attorney also dispelled previous published reports that reported Guzman-Feliz was erroneously targeted due to an intercourse tape with a lady associated with one of several suspects.

“As far even as we understand, at the moment, there was clearly no regards to any intercourse tape to the specific instance,” Clark stated. “That was stated on social media but who has not been the data that people have actually inside our situation.”

Shea has said the Trinitarios were proven to the division before Guzman-Feliz’s death. Ever since then, police have actually arrested at the very least 79 purported Trinitarios members over the town, mostly on felony fees, in accordance with Shea.

“This ended up being one significant situation involving Trinitarios, but we’re going to continue steadily to target perhaps maybe not just the Trinitarios but any road gang this is certainly involved with physical physical violence in new york,” Shea added.

The NYPD connection

Before their death, Guzman-Feliz had aspired in order to become a authorities detective and had been 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 as well as the Police Foundation have actually put up a scholarship honoring Guzman-Feliz. The Lesandro Guzman-Feliz Memorial College Fund will give you two $5,000 scholarships each to members of the Explorers program to be used toward tuition and school supplies upon enrollment in an accredited college year.