He makes it to the entrance of the hospital before collapsing. But I understand why the People adopted the Junior-as-saint story. The indicted are due back in court Oct. 25. A street was named after Junior, a scholarship fund, a summer camp. Todays verdict fortifies the Bronx communitys stand against violence.. Privacy Center | Justice for Junior Special: More than a Murder, Defense hammers key witness on role in 'Junior' death. When The Founder Of SCOTUSblog Calles It Quits, You Know Something Is UP: 5 is a tough crowd, 6 is a waste of time. His English was poor. 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. They face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole on the murder conviction. (No one claims responsibility.) 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. During closing arguments, some jurors were seen crying as autopsy photos were displayed. 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. Junior M&A Associate (1-3PQE, English-speaking role), Senior Projects/Projects Finance Lawyer (Korean,5+ PQE), Legal Knowledge Management To Drive Dealmaking, The Global Legal News You Need, When You Need It. Community member Elizabeth De Jesus likened the photo to a horror movie. At least eight other men are on the lookout some, armed with knives. Prosecutors showed jurors an autopsy photo showing the lethal wound to the neck of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz. Witnesses say these two police officers stood by watching the scene. WNBC reported that the . They carried weapons for two reasons for their own protection and to use them to hurt (not kill) a Sunset. Nine others charged in the killing are awaiting trial. In opening statements, prosecutors described the teen's killing as a calculated and planned murder by the five suspects. GRAPHIC: CCTV and bystanders filming with their phones captured the gruesome Bronx bodega machete stabbing murder of Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman by Trinitarios gang members. The defense attorney for the man who allegedly dealt that throat cut took offense at that. We want to know your views on law firm policies and culture. dragged him from the store and stabbed him to death. (Obtained by NY Daily News). 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 New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced the cause of death for slain teen Lesandro Guzman-Feliz. Add AI Research And Catching Up With Your Law School Buds To The Career Growth List -- See Also, Reach out just to catch up. 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. Junior then comes back to the store bloodied. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our. They are under investigation for failing to help. Photo Credit: Marisol Diaz-Gordon "It was just starting," he said. He only said that one word -- "water," she testified. Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Reyes described how their subsets of the Trinitarios terrorized rivals, including a Trinitarios splinter group called Sunset. See our privacy policy. Go after Sunset, you know what you have to do, Suero reportedly told the men. : Reach out just to catch up. But the owner appears to direct him away. Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most your children. 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. Ultimately, he was slashed in the neck and died after running to a hospital three blocks away. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. The dad struggled to make a living and Manuel struggled in school. An order had come from Mr. Suero, he said: Go after Sunset you already know what you have to do., Mr. Reyes said he understood that to be an order to do any kind of damage. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. 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. 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. Just 20 minutes later, Junior is pronounced dead as a result of a stab wound to the neck. The murder of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, known as Junior, drew outrage across New York City. 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The injured teen was seen stumbling inside the bodega before exiting and making a run for the hospital. She has not been back to court since. Maybe these wounds didn't contribute to the death but they certainly contributed to the pain and agony he was suffering, which fulfills the elements of murder in the first degree and as a result they're still guilty, he says. The federal judiciary is getting more diverse. Five more gang members pleaded guilty in the brutal machete stabbing death of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz inside a Bronx bodega in 2018. The trial also included shocking revelations, including when it was learned that the self-proclaimed gang member who testified against the other five alleged Trinitarios members on trial could get off because of his testimony. Juniors parents were not in court, having been warned the images would be shown. The medical examiner testified she was a lumper a doctor who looks to combine injuries and conclude that they all might have contributed to death. 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. 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 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. Our investigation retraces his last steps and reveals how a recent wave of violence took his life just two blocks from home. Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, who went by the nickname Junior, was a member of the Police Departments Law Enforcement Explorers program before he was killed last year. Mr. Suero had warned his members to carry a weapon at all times and said if they saw a rival member to do whatever possible to hurt the Sunset member, Mr. Alvarez said. Warning Graphic Video Below. Warning: Details of Fridays testimony are graphic in nature and may be disturbing to some. Its Wednesday, June 20. WNBC reported that the grisly images brought some of the jurors to tears. 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. He was depicted in murals and online with a halo and angel wings. Then he starts running to St. Barnabas Hospital, just one block away. 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. Mr. Reyes said the conflict started when two Sunset members joined the Bad Boys, angering a Sunset member who had gone to prison for a crime the two members had committed. Blood was splattered on the floor and counter of Cruz & Chiki Deli on Bathgate Ave and 183rd St., the store Junior was dragged from as he desperately sought refuge from his attackers, the detective said. We dont know. Some Trinitarios took orders from Mr. Suero, whom they called Santa Claus, according to Mr. Alvarez and Michael Reyes, who also testified for the prosecution. Lesandro, who had hidden behind the counter, pleaded with the men, saying he was not the person they were looking for. Hundreds attended his funeral last summer. "Justice for Junior" has become a rallying cry. Is Your Firm Keeping Pace With The Advancements In eDiscovery? One made a gesture as if he were going to hit Lesandro and the teenager ran, the witnesses said. Of those 38, five were under the age of 10. "Today's verdicts will not bring Junior back. Brown said Janari became the 38th juvenile murdered in gun violence in Chicago in the first seven months of 2020. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox. 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.". 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. Community member Elizabeth De Jesus likened the photo to a horror movie. Kevin Alvarez, third from left, and Elvin Garcia, both members of the Trinitarios gang, appearing before a judge in 2018. That wound was inflicted by one defendant alone, Mr. Estrella. Passersby try to help. I dont want to see it again. The teen reportedly bled to death steps from the emergency room. Crime Scene Unit Det. Surveillance cameras reportedly caught a group of men dragging Guzman-Feliz outside a Bronx bodega before attacking him. Only someone in the gang would know the response. 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. The New York City Police Foundation announced it planned to set up a scholarship in his name. 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. Guzman-Feliz's mother, Leandra Feliz, wept and screamed at times during the emotional trial.. This Tool Can Help. Only by addressing these issues might other young men like Junior not be killed, and still others like four of the five defendants in this case, not be condemned to life in prison for the actions of a few seconds done by a fellow gang member which they never intended. Then hes dragged from the bodega and brutally stabbed by a swarm of attackers. MORE: Justice for Junior Special: More than a Murder When Junior ran, the group gave chase. Junior rushes into this bodega just one block from his home. We've received your submission. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. He was walking toward Adams Place, a small street about five minutes away thats known for gang activity. Some Work Things Are Optional. Then, Elvin Garcia, who police say is seen here wearing a mask. Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said each of the . WPIX reported that theyre charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault, and conspiracy. 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. But Morgan Dolan, the lead prosecutor, countered that weapons like knives and machetes kill and the gang members went in knowing that.. But its too late. Surveillance footage from June shows a street chase by suspected members of the Trinitarios gang, as they hunted down 15-year-old Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz. His understanding, as was everyones, was that the group was ordered to physically harm (not kill) any Sunset they found. Dr. Rodriguez said its possible if pressure was applied to the wound and Junior was brought to the hospital earlier, he could have survived. Nothing can. Following that, no amount of logic, analysis, or pleas for reason could convince jurors to set aside their emotions. Whether Junior was a gang member or not, didnt justify his death. His history was whitewashed. Todays verdict fortifies the Bronx communitys stand against violence., Lesandros mother, Leandra Feliz said, Im not going to have my son back, but those killers, those murderers, theyre not going to be outside killing another kid.. Lesandro had bruising, scratches and small puncture wounds on his body, according to autopsy photos. After that, they will lead off summations. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. At least 10 people had been injured in June in a series of street battles. 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. Except thats not what happened. The teen reportedly bled to death steps from the emergency room. Manuel enjoyed the Trinitarios parties, the hookah, the beads, the hand signs, the comradery, and fact that they had his back. 270p. On Monday, City Council members Ritchie Torres, Vanessa Gibson, and Rafael Salamanca wrote a letter to Department of Consumer Affairs asking that the bodega be shut down. Continuing coverage on the trial can be read here.