Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz, 15, was dragged out of the Cruz and Chiky Grocery bodega at E. 183rd St. and Bathgate Ave in the Belmont neighborhood on Wednesday night. Knitting, perhaps? I saw he was scared, and he reminded me of a person that I had seen before, Reyes said, adding he felt very bad about the murder. 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. But its too late. Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most your children. In total, more than a dozen suspects have been arrested in connection to the killing. (Jefferson Siegel/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS). She described, in heartbreaking detail, how Guzman-Feliz looked up at her after the attack and motioned her to call 911. Also consider other hobbies. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Mr. Muniz rushed over wielding a machete while Mr. Garcia, Mr. Rivera and Mr. Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago stabbed at him with large knives, security camera video and other evidence showed. He was then stabbed and hacked to death with machetes by several attackers after being mistakenly identified. However, all 12 alleged gang members were indicted on second degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon. His history was whitewashed. Some Work Things Are Optional. Lesandro had bruising, scratches and small puncture wounds on his body, according to autopsy photos. If convicted, they face life in prison. ALL 8 SUSPECTS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED #justiceforjunior #JUNIOR #ripjunior #JUSTICE4JUNIOR #justice #bronx. 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. The cars then split up and appear to surround him. Video footage was released on social media that showed the murder. See our privacy policy. Photo Credit: Marisol Diaz-Gordon "It was just starting," he said. Meanwhile, during closing arguments the defense told jurors that the prosecution had failed to prove the suspects wanted to kill Junior, arguing testimony from star witnesses showed the men intended to hurt Junior, not kill him.. The teen wanted to be a police. Go after Sunset, you know what you have to do, Suero reportedly told the men. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Privacy Center | She said it cut the bone that protects the spinal cord and left an exit wound on the other side of his neck. 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. They gathered outside of Mr. Sueros apartment building on Boston Road, where they smoked hookah and played music. How do you protect your children from predators? What we do know is that for Junior like many teenagers growing up in gang-afflicted areas theres a fine line between hanging out on the streets and getting caught up in deadly violence. After Junior was stabbed outside the Bronx bodega, he is seen in surveillance video clutching his neck and attempting to run to the nearby hospital, where he eventually collapsed on a sidewalk and bled to death. His understanding, as was everyones, was that the group was ordered to physically harm (not kill) any Sunset they found. THE BRONX He knew they had killed the wrong guy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Following the lengthy opening statements from the prosecution and defense attorneys for the five suspected gang members, the first of 14 to stand trial, the first witness took the stand. Investigators say the group mistook Guzman-Feliz, who was not affiliated with any gang, for a member of the rival fraction of the Trinitarios gang. Hes making more money from Hogwarts: Legacy than her anyway. After Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Fernandez pulled the boy outside, the others attacked. Junior's mother said that Friday's verdict will sends a message to all those who would do something similar to what happened to her son. What Better Place To Network Than The Facebook Friends List? I didnt see the kid., 5 Convicted of Hacking Innocent Teenager Junior Guzman to Death, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/14/nyregion/lesandro-guzman-murder-trinitarios-verdict.html. Antonio Santiago is seen here from this other angle. It is unclear what the jury decided on. He specializes, New surveillance footage shows the moments before and after. The mural outside of the bodega where Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was attacked bears his birth and death dates: 2002 and 2018. Its 11:39. Putting four young men in jail for life for a murder they didnt intend (each was either running away, or nowhere near Junior when Estrella inflicted the fatal wound) should thrill no one. The defense also tried to discredit Guzman-Feliz alleging he was in a gang photo a notion a detective who took the stand denied. The only injury that caused Juniors death was clearly the neck wound. Mr. Alvarez testified for the prosecution in return for a lenient sentence. The officer 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. 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Surveillance video shows Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz being dragged out and then hacked to death by five men with machetes on June 20, 2018, in the Bronx. 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. The New York Post ran a front-page headline in bold caps,. Its like my son was right here with me., (L-R) Leandra Feliz and Lesandro Guzman, the mother and father of Lesandro (Junior) Guzman-Feliz, leave Bronx Supreme Court after the arraignments of 12 alleged Trinitarios gang members in July 2018. Anyone can read what you share. Hundreds attended his funeral last summer. He did not act with the intent to kill.. Instead, he said, he watched as other Trinitarios members dragged Junior outside and hacked him to death with machetes and knives. The injured teen was seen stumbling inside the bodega before exiting and making a run for the hospital. This story has been shared 137,355 times. Richard Harbus "A Bronx jury found the two leaders guilty for their role in the murder, closing another chapter of. (L-R) Leandra Feliz and Lesandro Guzman, the mother and father of Lesandro (Junior) Guzman-Feliz, leave Bronx Supreme Court after the arraignments of 12 alleged Trinitarios gang members in July 2018. Community member Elizabeth De Jesus likened the photo to a horror movie. They also argued their clients were pretending to stab Lesandro because gang leaders were watching the assault. Fourteen men have been criminally charged in connection with Guzman-Felizs slaying. At least eight other men are on the lookout some, armed with knives. The New York Post ran a front-page headline in bold caps, MACHETE MONSTERS GUILTY.. When the attackers walk in, the worker points out where Junior is hiding, and he gets dragged outof the store. They said that the store did not show good moral character. There is also a petition being spread around demanding the store get its license revoked. Video surveillance showed the men dragging Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz out of a Bronx bodega on his back and stabbing him with long knives and a machete. Closing arguments continue in the murder trial of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz. 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. The defense will have a chance Monday to call witnesses to the stand if they chose. Both times the worker refuses to help the young teen. The panel found all five guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, second-degree conspiracy and second-degree gang assault. Junior was spotted walking late at night in the Bronx neighborhood frequented by the Sunsets. The knife made it from the right side to the left, hit the muscle, hit the (jugular) vein, went behind the throat, hit the tissue on the back side of the mouth, Dr. Rodriguez said. He only said that one word -- "water," she testified. And on the night before Juniors murder, he had witnessed another stabbing at Adams Place. He was walking toward Adams Place, a small street about five minutes away thats known for gang activity. Mistaking him for a member of a rival set, the gang chased the boy, Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, for blocks in the Belmont section of the Bronx, prosecutors said. The OCME said Wednesday the teens death in the Belmont area of the Bronx was a stab wound to the neck, and classified the death as a homicide. Prosecutors introduced three clips of video. Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer. Manuel enjoyed the Trinitarios parties, the hookah, the beads, the hand signs, the comradery, and fact that they had his back. Five menSantiago Rodriguez, 24, Joniki Matinez, 24, Jose Muniz, 21, Danel Fernandez, 21, and Manuel Rivera, 18are currently on trial for the 2018 filmed murder. was brutally jumped and stabbed to death. That isgonna stick with this jury for the rest of the weekend, he says. : Enjoy. The father of Junior Guzman-Felizthe 15-year-old New York boy whose mistaken-identity murder was caught on tapereportedly screamed and cursed at one of his son's accused killers during a Thursday court hearing which included testimony of what transpired after the teen's stabbing death. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Hes at home with his mother. Select from premium Lesandro of the highest quality. They hang out on a stoop close by, chatting and listening to hip-hop, according to Jason. When The Founder Of SCOTUSblog Calles It Quits, You Know Something Is UP: 5 is a tough crowd, 6 is a waste of time. How Junior was killed follows a pattern of attacks by Trinitarios, a Dominican gang that was born in New York prisons. 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. Guzman-Feliz's mother, Leandra Feliz, wept and screamed at times during the emotional trial.. As opposed to Trump, who says presidents are free to incite at will. 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 murder was just as horrific. The second day of trial in the killing of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was emotional and filled with graphic video and photos. Prosecutors rested their case today in the Junior murder trial, but not without a graphic and powerful finish. WNBC reported that the . 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. 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. Five men approached, including Manuel, weapons in hand. Police had seized the footage that night and it got leaked. After that, they will lead off summations. The mural outside of the bodega where Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was attacked bears his birth and death dates: 2002 and 2018. Dixon's closing arguments also included the presentation of autopsy photos showing the wound to Guzman-Feliz's neck which reportedly killed him. At least 10 people had been injured in June in a series of street battles. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Only someone in the gang would know the response. Junior would go on to die outside of St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. In the video, we see the 15-year-old ask for the help from the worker of the Cruz and Chiky Grocery on E. 183rd St. in the Bronx. I dont want to see it again. According to police, the drivers spot Junior and taunt him. Prosecutors say that Jonaiki Martinez gave the fatal stab, slashing Juniors neck. But a leading police theory is the attackers mistakenly believed Junior was in a rival gang. 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. A post shared by Robert Williams (@areumdawo_saja) on Jun 25, 2018 at 11:00pm PDT. It appeared from a video of the crime (caught from multiple angles) that each attacked him viciously. Photo Credit: Marisol Diaz-Gordon One made a gesture as if he were going to hit Lesandro and the teenager ran, the witnesses said. Just two days before Junior was killed, a 14-year-old was seriously injured in this attack. At 11:35, a security camera films four cars driving slowly past the stoop where Juniors friend and some others were sitting. Their trial provided a glimpse inside the violent Trinitarios gang, whose members mistook 15-year-old Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz for a rival. Yes, he put the knife through his neck. Nothing can. That wound was inflicted by one defendant alone, Mr. Estrella. 2023 Breaking Media, Inc. All rights reserved. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. An 13th suspect has been confirmed arrested in Junior . She detailed the fatal path of the knife through the teens neck, which left a gaping hole on one side and a puncture wound on the other. dragged him from the store and stabbed him to death. Friends and family told us that Junior wasnt in a gang and the police have no such indication, either. Stuck Drafting A Tough Brief? WNBC reported that the grisly images brought some of the jurors to tears. He was depicted in murals and online with a halo and angel wings. Nearly a year after Lesandro was killed, a jury found five of the men guilty of murder and related charges on Friday, capping five weeks of testimony that provided a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the Trinitarios, a highly organized and brutally violent Dominican gang. He felt cool. If you have a knife, you stab. On his way there, Junior was in touch with this friend, who lives on Adams Place and who, according to our reporting, is not in a gang, either. 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. "A bright, beloved, athletic, soon-to . Members of Los Sures took orders from a leader named Diego Suero, whom they called Santa Claus.. Surveillance cameras reportedly caught a group of men dragging Guzman-Feliz outside a Bronx bodega before attacking him. On June 20, members of both Bronx sets had spent much of the day hunting for their enemies, Mr. Alvarez said. After the verdict, Mr. Muniz showed no remorse and shouted, Popote, hasta la muerte! slang for Trinitarios until death.. But the glee I saw in the eyes of spectators at the reading of straight convictions for Murder I was not founded. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Two of the clips. Nine other suspects are expected to stand trial on lesser charges in connection to the boys death later his year. Meanwhile a number of Bronx businesses are learning to be 'safe havens' for people in danger after a bodega owner was criticized for not doing enough 'Junior', who was killed outside his store. 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. His English was poor. Recommended Stories Deadline. 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. Then he starts running to St. Barnabas Hospital, just one block away. But it was Mr. Martinez Estrella who delivered the fatal blow when he shoved a large knife into the side of Lesandros neck, penetrating 4.5 inches and cutting his jugular vein, a medical examiner testified. . All 14 suspects are reportedly members of the Sures set of the Trinitarios gang. Although this position was strenuously argued by defense counsel, the jury ignored it. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Guzman-Feliz for a rival when they stabbed him to death, Last defendant convicted in 2018 killing of Bronx teen Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz, 5 gang members plead guilty to killing of Bronx teen, 16 members of violent Trinitarios gang charged with high-end NYC robberies in sweeping indictment, Two gang leaders convicted in murder of Junior Guzman-Feliz, Trinitarios were driving around looking for Sunset members, Juniors mom at one point screaming and sobbing in court. 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. After the attack, the gang returned to Mr. Sueros home on Boston Road, Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Reyes said. UPDATE! Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was brutally attacked and slashed to death in June 2018 in a case of mistaken identity. Find Lesandro stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. 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. It made the tragedy of his killing that much worse and convictions that much more guaranteed. Mr. Alvarez said he and other gang members tried to block Lesandro with their cars, but the teenager fled into the Cruz and Chiky Grocery, a bodega at East 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue. GRAPHIC: CCTV and bystanders filming with their phones captured the gruesome Bronx bodega machete stabbing murder of Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman by Trinitarios gang members. 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. Reyes, a member of the Bad Boys one of two Trinitarios subsets said gangbangers were gathered outside Sueros apartment, just one block from the slay-scene bodega at East 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue, when they were instructed to hunt down members of the rival Sunset crew for recently shooting a Bad Boy member. 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Several of the gang members got out of the cars and surrounded Lesandro, asking him questions. But Reyes told the court that he couldnt follow through with Sueros order after looking Junior in the face. "The knife made it from the right side to left of Juniors neck, hit the muscle, hit the veinhit the tissue on the back side of the mouth," she said. As one defense counsel said in his summation, the biggest obstacle in this case for defendants was not the facts, it was the anger and the desire for retribution., The video of the killing was released to social media only hours after Juniors death. Amazingly, a customer is seen purchasing an item over Juniors blood. Nine others charged in the killing are awaiting trial. Just after the stabbing death of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman Feliz last June 20, members of the Trinitarios were examining a photo of gang . That order came during a bloody feud within the Trinitarios that had pitted Sunset, which is based in Brooklyn, against Mr. Sueros two Bronx sets, the witnesses said. Heres a list of where to volunteer in NYC: Lex Lumpkin talks about new show The Watchful Eye, Debunking food safety myths with a chefs help, Fun, easy Holi-inspired crafts to try with kids, Spot warning signs of teens declining mental health, Simple spring break cocktails to make at home, Patrick Kane to make Rangers debut against Senators, Rangers KAndre Miller suspended 3 games for spitting, Kane incoming? No one, not prosecutors or police, wanted to admit, that Junior had gang connections. [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. Facing first-degree murder charges in Juniors death are alleged Trinitarios street gang members Antonio Rodriguez, Hernandez Santiago, Elvin Garcia, Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Jos Muiz and Manuel Rivera. Justice for Junior Special: More than a Murder, Defense hammers key witness on role in 'Junior' death. All five defendants were found guilty of murder in first and second degree, as well as conspiracy and gang assault charges. "Justice for Junior" has become a rallying cry. Prior to deliberations starting, the judge told the jury they could deliberate over the five defendants on trial separately and return individual verdicts or wait to return the verdicts of all five at once. Todays verdict fortifies the Bronx communitys stand against violence.. Of those 38, five were under the age of 10. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The ADA's argument also included graphic autopsy photos including the slit on Junior's neck the medical examiner says killed him. The trial, now in its fourth week, has been checkered with drama, with Juniors mom at one point screaming and sobbing in court in response to grisly CCTV footage shown of her sons murder. Prosecutors showed jurors an autopsy photo showing the lethal wound to the neck of Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz. They attempted to cast blame on Mr. Martinez Estrella for Lesandros death. Dr. Rodriguez confirmed what was already revealed in her report: that Juniors cause of death was a stab wound to the neck that came from a knife 4 1/2 inches in depth cutting his jugular vein.. Officer Kyle Oiwaka of the 48th Precinct took the stand on the 12th day of trial to testify about responding to a reported knife assault on the June 2018 night Junior was killed, and gave chilling details of the gory scene. According to prosecutors, Jos Muniz first hacks Junior with a machete. The New York City Police Foundation announced it planned to set up a scholarship in his name. 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.