During closing arguments, some jurors were seen crying as autopsy photos were displayed. An 13th suspect has been confirmed arrested in Junior . Continuing coverage on the trial can be read here. 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. This 15-year-old boy, in the moments before his death, fought and fought like hell, Dolan said, according to the New York Daily News. Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer. 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 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. We obtained footage from multiple security cameras and cellphones. There are nine others charged in Guzman's murder that are still awaiting trial. At least 10 other people have been maimed this summer in tit-for-tat attacks in the Bronx. The defense will have a chance Monday to call witnesses to the stand if they chose. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox. This 15-year-old boy, moments before death, fought like hell to get away, said Dolan. Sabathia. 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. 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. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. (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. Junior is on summer break from school. 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The case grabbed the attention of New Yorkers and across the nation, given that the brutal machete killing of the 15-year-old boy that took place inside a Bronx bodega in the summer of 2018 was captured on surveillance. According to prosecutors, Jos Muniz first hacks Junior with a machete. 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. Junior suffered multiple wounds to his face, back, chest, legs and hands. The friend says he told Junior not to come over because it was late. New surveillance footage shows the moments before and after LesandroJunior Guzman-Feliz was brutally jumped and stabbed to death. Then hes dragged from the bodega and brutally stabbed by a swarm of attackers. The jury of 11 women and a man took only two days to decide the fates of the defendants Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, 25, Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, 25, Jose Muniz, 23, Manuel Rivera, 19, and Elvin Garcia, 25. Is that why Junior was targeted? 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. Video: EXCLUSIVE: Race faker Jessica Krug hailed Bronx bodega murder of 15-year-old Junior Guzman a 'revolutionary moment' because 'he wanted to be a cop' and mistakenly claimed he was . 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. 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. At the moment I saw his face, my eyes changed. Junior and the bodega owner appear to have an exchange with Kevin Alvarez before Junior is grabbed and beaten on the ground. 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. All of the men charged have pleaded not guilty. A dozen alleged gang members were indicted July 18, with five charged with first degree murder, which includes torture, for the June 20 death of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz and could face life in prison without parole. Five men approached, including Manuel, weapons in hand. . Photo Credit: Marisol Diaz-Gordon That night, Lesandro had left his home on Bathgate Avenue to lend a friend $5, his mother had said during an interview last year. [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. 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. He did not act with the intent to kill.. He was walking toward Adams Place, a small street about five minutes away thats known for gang activity. However, police have said the teens murder was a case of mistaken identity. Assistant District Attorney Morgan Dolan used her time to go into detail about what the five defendants are accused of doing trapping Guzman at the Bronx bodega and hacking him to death with a machete. Secure New Clients Using A Content Marketing Funnel, Seth Klarman Doesnt Care Whether J.K. Rowling Is Cancelled. Fourteen men have been criminally charged in connection with Guzman-Felizs slaying. They hang out on a stoop close by, chatting and listening to hip-hop, according to Jason. We're about five years off of Best Buy having a 'Legal Troubleshooting' department, aren't we? Yesterday lawyers for four of the suspects accused of stabbing 15-year-old . But some of his friends were, and he had been hanging out with them at Adams Place recently. The ADAs argument also included graphic autopsy photos including the slit on Juniors neck the medical examiner says killed him. 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. 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. The convicted killers will be sentenced Tuesday, July 16. The footage went viral and with it, rumor and speculation about why the 15-year-old boy known as Junior was singled out. Junior gestures for someone to call 911. Kevin Alvarez, who pleaded guilty a weeks ago, took the stand to testify on behalf of the prosecution. Officers were called to a . The injured teen was seen stumbling inside the bodega before exiting and making a run for the hospital. Prosecutors rested their case today in the Junior murder trial, but not without a graphic and powerful finish. The defense team asked Dr. Rodriguez if any of these additional wounds contributed to the teens death. Hes at home with his mother. They also argued their clients were pretending to stab Lesandro because gang leaders were watching the assault. Erica Byfield reports. Our investigation retraces his last steps and reveals how a recent wave of violence took his life just two blocks from home. The murder of 15-year-old Guzman-Feliz, who was known as Junior, has captivated the community and public interest, partly because the brutal June 20 attack was caught on surveillance video where the teen is seen being dragged outside the bodega and attacked by a gang of five men who stabbed him with knives and hacked him with a machete as he struggled to defend himself. The teen wanted to be a police. ", "It was a terrible year, it felt like 10 years. But in this case, she couldnt. The only injury that caused Juniors death was clearly the neck wound. When The Founder Of SCOTUSblog Calles It Quits, You Know Something Is UP: 5 is a tough crowd, 6 is a waste of time. At Least Your Colleague Spat Wasnt This Bad: Some things we just dont share with the class. 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. Also consider other hobbies. Juniors friend, a Trinitario, had been attacked by a rival faction and allegedly turned to Junior for help. Following that, no amount of logic, analysis, or pleas for reason could convince jurors to set aside their emotions. Henry also told of discovering a five-inch blade inside the passenger seat pocket of suspect Kevins Alvarezs 2003 gray Acura. Wounds to his hands believed to be caused by a sharp object, possibly a knife, were considered to be defensive wounds where Junior put his hands up to protect his face. The cars then split up and appear to surround him. You can follow her on Twitter:@tonitamess. Although this position was strenuously argued by defense counsel, the jury ignored it. At about 10:30 p.m., the second-in-command of Los Sures, Frederick Then, 20, also known as Colita, told the men they were headed to the Little Italy section of the Bronx to search for their rivals. Yes, he put the knife through his neck. Kevin Alvarez, third from left, and Elvin Garcia, both members of the Trinitarios gang, appearing before a judge in 2018. The cars briefly stop at this intersection, and then turn left in the direction of Juniors path. It was a lawyers argument (as the judges law clerk put it) intellectual, nitpicky not visceral. He believed hed found a place to belong. What is the derivation of this distorted quest for manhood and meaning? Justice for Junior Special: More than a Murder, Defense hammers key witness on role in 'Junior' death. 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. According to . Because he resisted their efforts to stab him does not diminish their intent.. Five gangbangers are on trial for the murder of the 15-year-old in the tragic case of mistaken identity. 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.. Dixon's closing arguments also included the presentation of autopsy photos showing the wound to Guzman-Feliz's neck which reportedly killed him. Lets continue to examine why so many youths, particularly from inner cities, are attracted to the brutality of gangs. Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz, 15, was slashed in the neck with a machete at a bodega in the Bronx on June 19, 2018. Lesandro, who had hidden behind the counter, pleaded with the men, saying he was not the person they were looking for. 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. On the night of Juniors murder, Trinitarios were driving around looking for Sunset members when they spotted the 15-year-old walking. 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. Then, Elvin Garcia, who police say is seen here wearing a mask. 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Join Nancy Grace and a team of world-class experts for the online course Justice Nation: Crime Stops Here. Go after Sunset, you know what you have to do, Suero reportedly told the men. Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Reyes described how their subsets of the Trinitarios terrorized rivals, including a Trinitarios splinter group called Sunset. 270p. READ: #JusticeForJunior: 19-Year-Old Charged in the Murder of Bronx Teenager. Criminal defense attorney Chris Carrion has been observing the trial from the start. At 11:35, a security camera films four cars driving slowly past the stoop where Juniors friend and some others were sitting. 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 Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Fernandez pulled the boy outside, the others attacked. Heres how Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional unites internal and external research to create better deals faster. #justiceforjunior #ripjunior ALL THAT MUST STOP . In recent months, turf wars have spiked among rival Trinitario factions. Juniors mother Leandra Guzman had to be escorted from the courtroom last week when she began screaming and shaking after viewing gruesome footage of her son being attacked by a group of alleged gangbangers. 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. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. 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. was brutally jumped and stabbed to death. Now that the prosecution had rested its case, the defense can begin to question witnesses next week, and once that process is done, closing arguments will begin. He felt cool. Witnesses say these two police officers stood by watching the scene. The New York City Police Foundation announced it planned to set up a scholarship in his name. Our investigation retraces Juniors last steps and uncovers new details that may answer why he was targeted. LexisNexis Brief Analysis produces powerful, near-instant legal argumentation insights using the power of AI. What Better Place To Network Than The Facebook Friends List? It brought cries for vengeance couched in the Justice for Junior slogan. Last Friday, five men were convicted of murder in the first degree for the killing of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman Feliz in June 2018. ", Junior came to symbolize all of the young people who have lost their lives to brutal gang violence, said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. The second day of trial in the killing of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was emotional and filled with graphic video and photos. He leaves and immediately three other men enter. However, all 12 alleged gang members were indicted on second degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon. 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. That isgonna stick with this jury for the rest of the weekend, he says. Instead of turning to police, he turned to the Trinitarios, who like him, shared a Dominican heritage. She has not been back to court since. We will never sell or share your information without your consent. Content should be organized in different stages, from when potential clients search for initial information to eventually contacting your law firm. Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. Antonio Santiago is seen here from this other angle. Also consider other hobbies. 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.. 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. 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. As Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a press conference following the verdict, Junior came to symbolize all of the young people who have lost their lives to brutal gang violence. New Yorkers flooded investigators with tips. The five men who viciously slashed a New York teenager to death with . Junior stumbles back into the bodega, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. Lesandro had bruising, scratches and small puncture wounds on his body, according to autopsy photos. 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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. Community member Elizabeth De Jesus likened the photo to a horror movie. Heres How To Get Yours Right. It led to a clearer morality tale. Todays verdict fortifies the Bronx communitys stand against violence.. 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. Parked outside the bodega are the cars that chased Junior. The murder was just as horrific. Amazingly, a customer is seen purchasing an item over Juniors blood. People visit murder site to mourn the death of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz in Bronx in New York, United States on June 27, 2018. . If you have a knife, you stab. THE BRONX As they rested their case in the Junior murder trial Friday, prosecutors turned to the medical examiner who performed the teens autopsy, offering graphic detail of the wound that killed the 15-year-old almost a year ago. Juniors parents were not in court, having been warned the images would be shown. Crime, Criminal Defense Attorneys, Gangs, Lesandro Junior Guzman Feliz, Manuel Rivera, Murder, Toni Messina. Junior's parents were not in court, having been warned the images would be shown. I didnt see the person who had just finished getting stabbed there, Mr. Alvarez said, choking back tears. 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 attempted to cast blame on Mr. Martinez Estrella for Lesandros death. The night of the murder, my client, Manuel Rivera, wasnt carrying a machete; he wasnt a monster and he never intended to kill Junior. See our privacy policy. The first verdict was announced against Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, who delivered the fatal blow with a kitchen knife that ultimately killed Guzman a year ago next week. Get notified about exclusive offers every week! Members of the NYPD Junior league attend Lesandro Guzman-Feliz's funeral cerenomy at Our . A jury began deliberating Thursday on the five mens fates. But at the end, it has a happy ending," said Manny Ortiz. 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. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. A Trinitarios ringleader, Diego Suero, issued the order to his minions, who then mistook Guzman-Feliz for a rival when they stabbed him to death outside a bodega June 20, 2018, cooperating witness and gang member Michael Sosa Reyes, 20, told Bronx Supreme Court jurors. UPDATE! At around 11:30, Junior leaves, and two minutes later security cameras catch him on this corner passing near his home. Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, known as 'Junior,' was mistaken for another person in a murder earlier this week described as "among the most brutal crimes I've seen in my 36yr career," New York .

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