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 store has not opened since last Wednesday when the incident took place. The ADAs argument also included graphic autopsy photos including the slit on Juniors neck the medical examiner says killed him. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. 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. 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. Members of the Police Departments Law Enforcement Explorers program attending a memorial for Lesandro last year. 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. Surveillance video shows Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz being dragged from the Cruz and Chiky grocery store in the Bronx on June 20, 2018. Sabathia. 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. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our. But a leading police theory is the attackers mistakenly believed Junior was in a rival gang. Witnesses say these two police officers stood by watching the scene. Junior's parents were not in court, having been warned the images would be shown. 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. Only someone in the gang would know the response. Does An In Depth Analysis Predicting SCOTUS Decisions Help You Wind Down? Mr. Sueros trial is expected to start soon. However, police have said the teens murder was a case of mistaken identity. Lets continue to examine why so many youths, particularly from inner cities, are attracted to the brutality of gangs. He was then stabbed and hacked to death with machetes by several attackers after being mistakenly identified. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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. What is the derivation of this distorted quest for manhood and meaning? Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer. 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. In the video, we see the 15 . Dixons closing arguments also included the presentation of autopsy photos showing the wound to Guzman-Felizs neck which reportedly killed him. 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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. 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Then hes dragged from the bodega and brutally stabbed by a swarm of attackers. Todays verdict fortifies the Bronx communitys stand against violence.. Friends and family told us that Junior wasnt in a gang and the police have no such indication, either. But Reyes told the court that he couldnt follow through with Sueros order after looking Junior in the face. 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. 270p. After the verdict, Mr. Muniz showed no remorse and shouted, Popote, hasta la muerte! slang for Trinitarios until death.. 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. Man arrested for stealing fire department truck:, Coincidence prompted Powerball winner to buy ticket, Two women attacked from behind by group: NYPD, Moose on the Loose: Battle to become Yankees shortstop, Pop-up grocery store opens in Greenwich Village, Expert raises awareness about eating disorders, NY Rep. Dan Goldman talks House ethics probe into, What to know about teens and their mental health, Read Across America Day kicks off at NYC bookstore, Womens History Month: Highlighting women in medicine. 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. READ: #JusticeForJunior: 19-Year-Old Charged in the Murder of Bronx Teenager. 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. Of those 38, five were under the age of 10. Its 11:37. At least 10 other people have been maimed this summer in tit-for-tat attacks in the Bronx. 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. Their trial provided a glimpse inside the violent Trinitarios gang, whose members mistook 15-year-old Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz for a rival. After Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Fernandez pulled the boy outside, the others attacked. Both times the worker refuses to help the young teen. 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. dragged him from the store and stabbed him to death. Its 11:39. 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. Members of the Bronx sets also wanted revenge because a Sunset member had shot one of the Bad Boys in the face, Mr. Alvarez said. : Enjoy. ", If you have a gun, you shoot, he testified. Had Junior not been stabbed in the neck during the last seconds of the attack, he would have likely walked home barely injured except for abrasions to his body caused by being dragged out of the store and punched. Criminal defense attorney Chris Carrion has been observing the trial from the start. "See what happens with those killers," said Leandra Feliz. How do you protect your children from predators? They are under investigation for failing to help. A warning: These next scenes are hard to watch, and weve obscured some graphic parts. Is that why Junior was targeted? Goldberg hammered the medical examiner to get his point across that his client did not cause any physical injury to Junior, because a machete would have resulted in decapitation or mutilation. Carrion says the testimony that all of the other wounds were superficial and did not cause Juniors death may not help the defense as much as theyd like. Dr. Rodriguez said its possible if pressure was applied to the wound and Junior was brought to the hospital earlier, he could have survived. ", Junior came to symbolize all of the young people who have lost their lives to brutal gang violence, said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. Fourteen men have been criminally charged in connection with Guzman-Felizs slaying. The mural outside of the bodega where Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was attacked bears his birth and death dates: 2002 and 2018. 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. In the beginning of the video, the teen is seen trying to hide behind the counter. LexisNexis Brief Analysis produces powerful, near-instant legal argumentation insights using the power of AI. 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. They're not gonna forget it. The New York City Police Foundation announced it planned to set up a scholarship in his name. It brought cries for vengeance couched in the Justice for Junior slogan. Both times the worker refuses to help the young teen. Whether Junior was a gang member or not, didnt justify his death. Defense lawyers for the four other defendants said in their closing arguments that the order from Mr. Suero had only been to injure a Sunset member, not to kill someone. Just after the stabbing death of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman Feliz last June 20, members of the Trinitarios were examining a photo of gang . Reyes told the jury he chased a frightened Junior inside the bodega and lied to the storekeeper that the teen had done something to my grandmother.. Manuel enjoyed the Trinitarios parties, the hookah, the beads, the hand signs, the comradery, and fact that they had his back. Then he walked toward Adams Place, where he sometimes met with friends. He was a skinny kid, just 120 pounds, 56 inches tall. Manuel Rivera is accused of repeatedly stabbing Junior. 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. 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.". Video footage was released on social media that showed the murder. But the glee I saw in the eyes of spectators at the reading of straight convictions for Murder I was not founded. Dr. Rodriguez also said it was possible Junior may have survived if brought to the hospital sooner. 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Prosecutors say that Jonaiki Martinez gave the fatal stab, slashing Juniors neck. He believed hed found a place to belong. They face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole on the murder conviction. The friend says he told Junior not to come over because it was late. Mr. Alvarez testified that Lesandro was not in the photos. 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. 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Junior came to symbolize all of the young people who have lost their lives to brutal gang violence, the Bronx district attorney, Darcel D. Clark, said. Surveillance cameras reportedly caught a group of men dragging Guzman-Feliz outside a Bronx bodega before attacking him. JOLIET, Ill. (AP) A Chicago-area toddler was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday after finding an unsecured gun and shooting himself in the head, police said. Guzman-Feliz's death sparked outrage in the Bronx and beyond and spurred the allocation of $18 million toward gang prevention in the borough. Dixon's closing arguments also included the presentation of autopsy photos showing the wound to Guzman-Feliz's neck which reportedly killed him. (Obtained by New York Daily News ). Fellow defendant Jose Muniz was heard saying "Trinitarios to the day I die" as he left the courtroom following the guilty verdicts. All of the men charged have pleaded not guilty. Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz, 15, was slashed in the neck with a machete at a bodega in the Bronx on June 19, 2018. The referrals are a nice bonus too! Theodore Parisienne for The New York Times. Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was brutally attacked and slashed to death in June 2018 in a case of mistaken identity. Officers were called to a . 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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