UPDATE! That isgonna stick with this jury for the rest of the weekend, he says. Mr. Reyes said they falsely told the store owner that Lesandro had attacked his own grandmother. She replied that the wounds they spoke of were superficial and that the only wound that caused his death was the one to his neck. Guzman-Feliz had been part of the NYPD's Explorers program, a group for youths interested in a law enforcement career. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. (Police were stationed in the street outside court, anticipating a riot should the verdict not have come back as guilty on all counts.). [Featured Image: Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz/Facebook], 6-Year-Old Girl, 2 Adults Critically Wounded by Gunmen Looking for the Little Girls Father, Juror: Alex Murdaugh Convinces Himself of His Own Lies, Detroit Man Charged With Killing Friends Tot Daughter, Lesandro Guzman-Feliz valiantly avoided multiple attempted stabbings. The media ran with the narrative, promoted by the prosecution and the family of the deceased, that the 15-year-old was killed in a case of mistaken identification by gangbangers, viciously stabbed by all of them and killed, Caesar-like, from the cuts of many wounds. The murder of Lesandro, who went by the nickname Junior, was well documented on videotape from security cameras and the cellphones of witnesses, providing prosecutors with hard proof to support their case. I explained to her what happened and she told me that I had to come back and face my consequences, he said about confessing to his mom. And on the night before Juniors murder, he had witnessed another stabbing at Adams Place. New York Police Department . She used her summation to show the jury the boys final moments repeatedly, slowing it down to show each defendants actions. They gathered outside of Mr. Sueros apartment building on Boston Road, where they smoked hookah and played music. The teen wanted to be a police. Two of the clips. But these verdicts will send a messageto those who would commitacts of senseless violenc, and help us move forward and bring closure to this awful chapter in our borough's history.". The murder of Lesandro rattled the city, prompting outrage on social media and calls for justice from elected officials and celebrities, including the rapper Cardi B and the Yankees pitcher C.C. Its alleged that defendant Jonaiki Martinez Estrella plunged the knife into Juniors neck near the end of the 20-second attack. The footage went viral and with it, rumor and speculation about why the 15-year-old boy known as Junior was singled out. This Tool Can Help. Even as the evidence demonstrated that Junior was killed by only one man, Janaki Estrella-Martinez, the false narrative had taken hold and all five defendants were convicted of the highest crime in New York State murder by torture. Prosecutors say that Jonaiki Martinez gave the fatal stab, slashing Juniors neck. Members of Los Sures took orders from a leader named Diego Suero, whom they called Santa Claus.. If you have a knife, you stab. The knife used to deliver the lethal blow to Lesandro Junior Guzman Feliz last June 20 went clear through the teens neck, causing him to bleed to death, the medical examiner, Dr. Sophia Rodriguez, testified. Yes, he put the knife through his neck. The defense also tried to discredit Guzman-Feliz alleging he was in a gang photo a notion a detective who took the stand denied. It was very painful, Guzman told reporters in Spanish. Frederick Then was arrested in 2018 in connection with Lesandros death. Juniors parents, Leandra Feliz and Lisandro Guzman, were not present in the courtroom during the medical examiners testimony. Junior begins to run and the cars give chase. We want to know your views on law firm policies and culture. The cars then split up and appear to surround him. Henry also told of discovering a five-inch blade inside the passenger seat pocket of suspect Kevins Alvarezs 2003 gray Acura. Whether Junior was a gang member or not, didnt justify his death. Last week, court officers had to restrain and remove a screaming Leandra Feliz as Judge Robert Neary blasted her as hysterical.. My client, age 18 (and nine months, as the prosecutor liked to remind jurors), had joined a dangerous gang, the Trinitarios, and without the benefit of his mother, left behind in the Dominican Republic, made some very poor decisions that will now land him in jail probably for the rest of his life. ", Junior came to symbolize all of the young people who have lost their lives to brutal gang violence, said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. The 2-year-old boy was shot around 12:16 p.m . Five men approached, including Manuel, weapons in hand. Oiwaka said Juniors clothes had to be repackaged the day after they were vouchered into evidence as the blood was soaking through the paper bags they had been stored in. Their trial provided a glimpse inside the violent Trinitarios gang, whose members mistook 15-year-old Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz for a rival. Warning: Details of Fridays testimony are graphic in nature and may be disturbing to some. Do not sell my information. What is the derivation of this distorted quest for manhood and meaning? Dixons closing arguments also included the presentation of autopsy photos showing the wound to Guzman-Felizs neck which reportedly killed him. A bottle of hate had been uncorked and there was no way to close it. Junior's parents were not in court, having been warned the images would be shown. Surveillance video shows Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz being dragged from the Cruz and Chiky grocery store in the Bronx on June 20, 2018. Nils Gerber and Stephen Ball, Stacks' attorneys, presented evidence and rested their case after about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, who went by the nickname Junior, was a member of the Police Department's Law Enforcement Explorers program before he was killed last year. Mr. Alvarez testified that Lesandro was not in the photos. Junior was spotted walking late at night in the Bronx neighborhood frequented by the Sunsets. He was walking toward Adams Place, a small street about five minutes away thats known for gang activity. The men, traveling in four cars, spotted Lesandro, and one of them shouted a Trinitarios greeting at him: Sunset, Popo, then 1090, which was a password Los Sures used to identify Sunset members, Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Reyes said. That night, Lesandro had left his home on Bathgate Avenue to lend a friend $5, his mother had said during an interview last year. Heres How To Get Yours Right. It brought cries for vengeance couched in the Justice for Junior slogan. 2023 Breaking Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Prosecutors previously said the teen succumbed to a neck wound caused by a 4-and-a-half inch knife that severed his jugular vein. The store has not opened since last Wednesday when the incident took place. 270p. But at the end, it has a happy ending," said Manny Ortiz. Newly released videos show Junior's desperate final moments before being hacked to death PIX11 News 186K subscribers Subscribe Like Save 3.8M views 4 years ago Show more Show more Notice. The referrals are a nice bonus too, Get to figuring your way around AI sooner rather than later, Enjoy. A string of shootings across Chicago Wednesday left at least 10 people shot, and, according to police, at least half of those who suffered gunshot wounds were under the age of 16. Reyes said the order implied: If you have a gun, shoot it, if you a have a knife, you stab, if you have a machete, you use it.. Members of the Trinitarios gang were hunting for enemies in the Bronx last summer when they found a 15-year-old boy on his phone and walking alone. Fourteen men have been criminally charged in connection with Guzman-Felizs slaying. Mere days after the trial kicked off startling never-before-seen footage of the savage machete attack was presented by prosecutors. The referrals are a nice bonus too! Five more gang members pleaded guilty in the brutal machete stabbing death of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz inside a Bronx bodega in 2018. Then, Elvin Garcia, who police say is seen here wearing a mask. But the glee I saw in the eyes of spectators at the reading of straight convictions for Murder I was not founded. Meanwhile, the defense argued that testimony supports that the suspects didnt mean to kill Guzman-Feliz. However, four defense attorneys contested this notion, describing during opening statements that most of Guzman-Feliz's wounds as superficial and said it was the one cut to the throat that killed him. "A bright, beloved, athletic, soon-to . He felt cool. That wound was inflicted by one defendant alone, Mr. Estrella. But what the autopsy report meticulously documented was that Junior suffered minor physical injury, superficial wounds, no bigger than a lentil, except for a large wound to his neck. Is that why Junior was targeted? Nine others charged in the killing are awaiting trial. The ADAs argument also included graphic autopsy photos including the slit on Juniors neck the medical examiner says killed him. One of the Trinitarios, who turned cooperator and will now face no jail time, dragged Junior from the bodega where he was hiding and onto the street. Friends and family told us that Junior wasnt in a gang and the police have no such indication, either. Photo Credit: Marisol Diaz-Gordon "It was just starting," he said. ", If you have a gun, you shoot, he testified. The friend says he told Junior not to come over because it was late. At the foot of the location I noticed a lot of blood, and people frantically screaming," Officer Oiwaka said about arriving at the entrance to St. Barnabas Hospital in Belmont, where Junior bleeding profusely from his wounds had collapsed in a frantic attempt to get help. Five other people have been arrested and accused of involvement in the crime. Bronx gangbangers were given the order to inflict any kind of damage they could on rivals just three days before the murder of innocent teen Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz, according to court testimony Friday. They're not gonna forget it. This Aint One Of Them: Get to figuring your way around AI sooner rather than later. On June 20, members of both Bronx sets had spent much of the day hunting for their enemies, Mr. Alvarez said. They hang out on a stoop close by, chatting and listening to hip-hop, according to Jason. Junior and the bodega owner appear to have an exchange with Kevin Alvarez before Junior is grabbed and beaten on the ground. Junior stumbles back into the bodega, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. After a weeks-long trial filled with emotional testimonies, chilling revelations and graphic photos, the jury reached a verdict in the Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz murder trial. Once that video was out, it took on a life of its own causing the defendants to lose the presumption of innocence and any chance for a fair trial (at least that close in time to the event itself under one year. It is unclear if Reyes is in witness protection or has also been released with other gangbanger-turned-witness Kevin Alvarez, 20. Surveillance video shows Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz being dragged from the Cruz and Chiky grocery store in the Bronx on June 20, 2018. Prosecutors showed jurors an autopsy photo showing the lethal wound to the neck of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz. READ: #JusticeForJunior: 19-Year-Old Charged in the Murder of Bronx Teenager. People visit murder site to mourn the death of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz in Bronx in New York, United States on June 27, 2018. . Eight others are awaiting trial. Todays verdict fortifies the Bronx communitys stand against violence, "Today Junior's family, and in fact our entire city, has received a measure of justice," Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz said in a statement. Then hes dragged from the bodega and brutally stabbed by a swarm of attackers. JOLIET, Ill. - A toddler accidentally shot himself in the head after he found an unsecured gun in a Joliet home Tuesday afternoon, according to police. The incident revealed the barbaric tactics of a gang called the Trinitarios, and it laid bare a glaring paradox: Amid historically low crime rates in New York, police are still struggling to contain brutal violence in some neighborhoods. The panel found all five guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, second-degree conspiracy and second-degree gang assault. Henry said Junior had a large open wound on the right side of his neck when she saw his body in the morgue. According to . Theyre believed to have targeted Guzman-Feliz because they believed he was affiliated with a rival gang responsible for shooting one of their members two days earlier. At the moment I saw his face, my eyes changed. The store owner unlocked a door leading to the area where Lesandro was hiding, Mr. Alvarez said, and told them to take the fight outside. Reyes fled to the Dominican Republic on June 21 to see his mother after learning he was present in a murder but returned the following day and handed himself in to police before entering a plea deal in August. The federal judiciary is getting more diverse. Our investigation retraces Juniors last steps and uncovers new details that may answer why he was targeted. A post shared by Robert Williams (@areumdawo_saja), Jury Finds All Five Defendants Guilty Of Murdering Bronx Teen Junior Guzman-Feliz, New Owners Of Bodega Where Junior Was Killed Want To Rename Store After Slain Teen, Bronx Street Renamed To Honor Slain Teen Junior, Bronx Bodega Where Teen Junior Was Attacked Reopens Temporarily, Legendary Jazz Saxophonist Wayne Shorter Has Died, White Student At Howard University Law School Sues for $2 Million Over Racial Discrimination, R. Kelly Sentenced to 20 Years For Child Sex Crimes, Family of Malcolm X Files $100 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against NYPD & Others. Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer. She has not been back to court since. "I saw a smile on my mothers face really, really excited.". Mr. Martinez Estrella, a probationary member, boasted to the others that Lesandro would not eat for a very long time because I hit him in the neck, Mr. Reyes testified. Mr. Sueros trial is expected to start soon. Students and staff from the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health and Science Charter School gathered Friday to honor Lesandro "Junior" Guzman Feliz, who was tragically stabbed to death in 2018. During Tuesdays closing arguments, Bronx assistant district attorney Morgan Dolan told the jury how Lesandro Guzman-Feliz valiantly avoided multiple attempted stabbings by a mob of men who had dragged him out of a bodega on June 20. A New York prosecutor detailed how hard a 15-year-old tried to fight off a group of accused gang members as they allegedly stabbed him to death in front of a bodega last summer. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. She said the jugular wound caused him to lose a lot of blood, but blood rushed out more quickly because no one applied pressure and he ran to the hospital. Since the violent attack, the communitys outpouring of love and support has been seen in a mural. What Better Place To Network Than The Facebook Friends List? At least 10 other people have been maimed this summer in tit-for-tat attacks in the Bronx. The New York City Police Foundation announced it planned to set up a scholarship in his name. A jury began deliberating Thursday on the five mens fates. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Forsyth County prosecutors rested their case Tuesday morning. They pursued him in cars, mistaking the aspiring NYPD detective for a gangbanger because he supposedly resembled a known one. Juniors friend, a Trinitario, had been attacked by a rival faction and allegedly turned to Junior for help. Prosecutors introduced three clips of video. During the cops testimony, a white t-shirt completely saturated in the boys blood as well as blood-soaked boxers, a sock, and a blue zip-up sweatshirt designed with stars and stripes were shown to jurors. The convicted killers will be sentenced Tuesday, July 16. He was depicted in murals and online with a halo and angel wings. Hundreds attended his funeral last summer. The night of the murder, my client, Manuel Rivera, wasnt carrying a machete; he wasnt a monster and he never intended to kill Junior. A dozen people appeared in court facing charges related to the death of 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, who was killed in the Bronx. Only someone in the gang would know the response. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. READ: #JusticeForJunior: A Group of Men Fatally Stabbed Bronx Teen With Machete. Alvarez, who testified last week as a cooperating witness, pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in a deal with Bronx prosecutors and is expected to serve no prison time. Go after Sunset, you know what you have to do, Suero reportedly told the men.
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