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Murder of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz

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The murder of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz occurred on June 20, 2018; the 15-year-old was killed by members of the Dominican-American gang Trinitarios in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx. The death occurred in a case of mistaken identity. Public outrage arose when graphic video of the murder began to circulate on the Internet. Fourteen suspects, all members of the Trinitario gang, were arrested in connection with Guzman-Feliz's death.

Murder of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz
LocationIntersection of Bathgate Avenue and East 183rd Street, New York City (Belmont, Bronx), US
Coordinates40°51′17″N 73°53′30″W / 40.8547°N 73.8918°W / 40.8547; -73.8918
DateJune 20, 2018 (6 years ago) (2018-06-20)
Attack type
Machete attack, stabbing, gang violence
Deaths1
No. of participants
14 suspects (all convicted)

Murder

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On June 20, 2018, at 11:30 p.m. (EDT), 15-year-old Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz left his apartment to meet with a friend.[1] While out, he noticed four vehicles and became alarmed. He began to run and was chased for several blocks by gang members occupying the vehicles.[2] Eventually, Guzman-Feliz sought refuge in a bodega at Bathgate Avenue and East 183rd Street in Belmont, Bronx, near his residence. The store owner (and others) witnessed the attack[3] but initially prevented Junior from hiding behind the counter, being at first unsure of precisely what was occurring.[4] After recognizing Junior and seeing his fear, the store owner relented and allowed him behind the counter,[4] but Junior was nevertheless spotted by one of the gang members, who then proceeded to drag him outside, where three others waited.[5]

The brutal killing had a significant impact upon the bodega owner. The bodega owner's mother had a heart attack after viewing the security footage of the incident and died. The bodega owner had thoughts of self-harm and had to seek psychological therapy.[6]

The incident was captured on CCTV video inside the shop, as well as on cell phone video taken from an overhead angle by a resident of one of the building's upper floors. The cell phone video shows a dozen or more males arriving and departing at the scene. Bodega surveillance footage shows several men stabbing Guzman-Feliz with large knives and machetes.[7] The video shows Guzman-Feliz re-entering the store; however, he appeared to be sent outside. The video shows him stumbling out of the bodega and running east on 183rd Street toward St. Barnabas Hospital, one block away. Cell phone footage showed Guzman-Feliz collapse on a step at a security booth a few yards from the hospital entrance. The video shows witnesses who knew the victim screaming frantically, holding cloths to his wounds, and attempting to console him as he died. Guzman-Feliz' death occurred only minutes after the attack at the bodega.[8][9]

According to the boyfriend of Guzman-Feliz's sister, a Trinitario gang leader stated on Snapchat that the killing was a case of mistaken identity. Initial reports indicated that authorities considered the possibility that the incident might have been triggered by a sex video shared on Facebook, showing an individual resembling Guzman-Feliz with a young woman who was thought to be a relative of a gang member.[10]

A hashtag, #justiceforjunior, was created and went viral on social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram. Public outrage ensued when the graphic video of Guzman-Feliz's killing began to circulate on the Internet.[11] Police tip lines received a "torrent" of calls from witnesses and other people identifying the suspects. Officers' posts on Twitter and Instagram were shared and viewed over 100,000 times.[12]

Motive

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The killing of Guzman-Feliz was purportedly a case of mistaken identity of a teen who was part of a rival gang. The police reported that the killers, all members of the Trinitarios subset "Los Sures", mistakenly believed that Guzman-Feliz was a member of the rival "Sunset" gang. Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark said that Guzman-Feliz had no ties to any gang activity.[13]

Victim

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Lesandro Guzman-Feliz memorial at the corner of Bathgate Avenue and 183rd Street.

Lesandro Guzman-Feliz (November 11, 2002 – June 20, 2018), known as "Junior", was 15 years old at the time of his death. His family included: his father, Lisandro Guzman; his mother, Leandra Feliz; his older sister, Genesis Collado-Feliz; and his brother, Manuel Ortiz.[14] He attended the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health & Science Charter School, where he was a sophomore.[15] He was of Dominican descent.[16]

Guzman-Feliz aspired to become a detective[17] and was a member of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Explorers program, a group for youths interested in law enforcement careers.[18] His funeral, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in the Bronx, was attended by thousands. Pallbearers were attired in New York Yankees jerseys as a nod to Guzman-Feliz's favorite baseball team.[19] He was interred in Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx.[20]

After his death, the NYPD established a scholarship in Guzman-Feliz's name.[21] The corner of Bathgate Avenue and 183rd Street, where Guzman-Feliz was killed, was ceremonially renamed "Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz Way" in February 2019, on his mother's birthday.[22][23]

Perpetrators and suspects

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Memorial to Lesandro Guzman-Feliz across the street from the St. Barnabas Hospital entrance

Fourteen suspects were arrested in connection with Guzman-Feliz's death. All were members of the Dominican gang Trinitario and between the age of 18 and 29.[24][25][26]

  • Kevin Alvarez, age 19
  • Luis Cabrera-Santos, age 25
  • Danel Fernandez, age 21
  • Elvin Garcia, age 23
  • Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez, age 24
  • Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, age 24
  • Jose Muniz, age 21
  • Danilo Payamps-Pacheco, age 21
  • Gabriel Ramirez-Concepcion, age 26
  • Manuel Rivera, age 18
  • Diego Suero, age 29
  • Jose Taverez, age 21
  • Fredrick Then, age 20
  • Ronald Ureña, age 29

Police alleged Suero to be the ringleader, who ordered the murder of Guzman-Feliz.[24] Officers also claimed that Martinez-Estrella delivered the fatal blow to Guzman-Feliz.[27]

Four of the suspects (Fernandez, Muniz, Rivera, and Hernandez) were incarcerated at Rikers Island and received death threats, even from other members of the Trinitario gang, while awaiting trial. As such, they were segregated from other prisoners and received heightened security protection at the jail.[28] In December 2018, while detained at Rikers Island, Rivera received a slash wound on his face from a fellow inmate. The suspect was allegedly a rival gang member.[29] Michael Sosa Reyes, a former suspect, was a cooperating witness.[30]

Trial verdict

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Nearly a full year after Guzman-Feliz was killed outside of the Bronx bodega, five accused suspects were convicted of his murder. In a Bronx courtroom on June 14, 2019, a jury convicted Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Manuel Rivera, Elvin Garcia, Jose Muniz and Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, gang assault, and conspiracy.[31] By also convicting the defendants of first-degree murder, the jury acknowledged that Guzman-Feliz was tortured before his death.[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "'His Dream Was To Be A Police Officer:' Friends, Family Mourn Teen Fatally Stabbed In Apparent Case Of Mistaken Identity In The Bronx". CBS New York. June 23, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  2. ^ Murphy, Mary (July 2, 2018). "EXCLUSIVE: Videos public hasn't seen show 'Junior' was chased for blocks before he was trapped in Bronx bodega". WPIX 11 New York. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  3. ^ Kim, CeFaan (June 24, 2018). "Family calls for boycott of bodega where teen was fatally stabbed". ABC7 New York. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Chung, Jen (July 2018). "Bronx Bodega Owner Says He Tried To Shield Lesandro Guzman-Feliz; Video Released". Gothamist. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  5. ^ Villeda, Ray (June 29, 2018). "Bodega Owner Tearfully Recalls Machete Victim: 'So Scared'". NBC New York. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  6. ^ "gang target or mistaken identity?". MTV.com. January 15, 2020. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020.
  7. ^ Woods, Amanda; Moore, Tina; Musumeci, Natalie (June 22, 2018). "The moment a teen is pulled out of a store and fatally stabbed". New York Post. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  8. ^ "NYPD reviewing video of Guzman-Feliz collapsing outside hospital". News 12 The Bronx. June 29, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  9. ^ Parascandola, Rocco; Rayman, Graham; Tracy, Thomas (June 28, 2018). "NYPD probing whether cops sat by as dying teen bled out in Bronx machete attack". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  10. ^ Moore, Tina; Roberts, Georgett (June 23, 2018). "Gang leader 'sorry' after innocent teen is butchered in street". New York Post. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  11. ^ Rayman, Graham; Light, Mikey (June 23, 2018). "Murderous gang apologizes for brutal machete slaying of Bronx teen, victim's relative says". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  12. ^ Southall, Ashley; Ferré-Sadurní, Luis (June 24, 2018). "'Disgusted' by Video of Fatal Stabbing of Teen, Callers Flood Police Tip Line". The New York Times. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  13. ^ "12 suspects in Bronx teen's murder appear in court". FOX New York. July 18, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  14. ^ Njoroge, Moses (July 19, 2018). "Lesandro Guzman-Feliz Bio, Biography, Age, Sister, Mother, Stabbing Video and Death (15 Years Old)". Glob Intel. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  15. ^ Wicker, Jewel (June 26, 2018). "Hundreds Gathered at a Bronx Bodega to Remember Slain Teen". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  16. ^ "Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz, el dominicano de 15 años asesinado a machetazos en el Bronx cuya muerte estremece a Estados Unidos". BBC News (in Spanish). June 30, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  17. ^ "Friends, family honor the life of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz". News 12. June 27, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  18. ^ "Farewell to 'Junior': Funeral for slain Bronx teen". FOX 5 NY. June 27, 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  19. ^ Wicker, Jewel (June 28, 2018). "Thousands of People Attended Bronx Teen Lesandro Guzman Feliz's Funeral". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  20. ^ Fenton, Reuven; Eustachewich, Lia (June 27, 2018). "Hundreds attend funeral for innocent teen viciously killed by gang". New York Post. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  21. ^ Steinbuch, Yaron (June 29, 2018). "NYPD to honor slain Bronx teen with scholarship in his name". New York Post. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  22. ^ Cavallier, Andrea; Murphy, Mary (February 27, 2019). "Bronx street dedicated to 'Junior' on mom's birthday: 'It's something that will make him feel close to me'". WPIX 11 New York. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  23. ^ "Justice for Junior: Street in the Bronx renamed in honor of slain Bronx teen Junior Guzman-Feliz". ABC7 New York. February 27, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  24. ^ a b Celona, Larry; Taylor, Alex; Musumeci, Natalie (July 6, 2018). "Eleventh suspect arrested in killing of Bronx teen". New York Post. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  25. ^ Murphy, Mary; Cavallier, Andrea (July 9, 2018). "12th – and final – suspect wanted in 'Junior' killing arrested in Connecticut". WPIX 11 New York. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  26. ^ "8th arrest in fatal stabbing of Bronx teenager outside bodega". CBS News. June 26, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  27. ^ "7of 8 suspects appear in court in brutal murder of innocent 15-year-old boy". WABC-TV. June 28, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  28. ^ Celona, Larry; Moore, Tina; Logan, Shari (July 3, 2018). "'Everybody wants a piece' of jailed gangbangers accused of killing Bronx teen". New York Post. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  29. ^ Blau, Reuven (December 11, 2018). "Suspect in Bronx teen's murder slashed in the face at Rikers Island by rival gang member". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  30. ^ Murphy, Mary (September 18, 2018). "The Junior Files Part 1: New videos show Bronx teen trying to outrun gang street chase". WPIX 11 New York. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  31. ^ Chasan, Aliza; Cavallier, Andrea; Ford, James (14 June 2019). "Justice comes for Junior: Jury finds 5 gang members GUILTY of first-degree murder in clean-sweep verdict". PIX 11 News. Tribune Broadcasting. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  32. ^ Crane-Newman, Molly; McShane, Larry (14 June 2019). "Verdict in Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz trial: All five defendants found guilty of first-degree murder in case that broke city's heart". New York Daily News. Tribune Publishing Company. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
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