Guzman-Felizs memory has also been honored through the renaming of a street and a summer camp at a state park, as well as prompting the Safe Haven Bodega program in the city. At around 11:30, Junior leaves, and two minutes later security cameras catch him on this corner passing near his home. The friend says he told Junior not to come over because it was late. The teen wanted to be a police. Video showed the boy being dragged outside the bodega and set upon by a gang of men who hacked at him as he struggled to defend himself. . 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. Cause of death released for Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said each of the . There are nine others charged in Guzman's murder that are still awaiting trial. This story has been shared 137,355 times. The teen reportedly bled to death steps from the emergency room. dragged him from the store and stabbed him to death. Junior and the bodega owner appear to have an exchange with Kevin Alvarez before Junior is grabbed and beaten on the ground. 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. ), It was shared millions of times on social media and in the general press. His understanding, as was everyones, was that the group was ordered to physically harm (not kill) any Sunset they found. Anyone can read what you share. Junior is on summer break from school. News and analysis from this company could be a game-changer for legal professionals working globally. Select from premium Lesandro of the highest quality. Lesandro Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images They carried weapons for two reasons for their own protection and to use them to hurt (not kill) a Sunset. "Justice for Junior" has become a rallying cry. Privacy Center | 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. A group of gang members armed with machetes and knives. After that, they will lead off summations. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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. The cars then split up and appear to surround him. You can follow her on Twitter:@tonitamess. 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. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. He leaves and immediately three other men enter. 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. Mr. Alvarez, Mr. Reyes and a third man went into the store and asked the owner and workers to let them take Lesandro. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox. Manuel Rivera is accused of repeatedly stabbing Junior. I dont want to see it again. Its alleged that defendant Jonaiki Martinez Estrella plunged the knife into Juniors neck near the end of the 20-second attack. Does An In Depth Analysis Predicting SCOTUS Decisions Help You Wind Down? The federal judiciary is getting more diverse. That night, Lesandro had left his home on Bathgate Avenue to lend a friend $5, his mother had said during an interview last year. But I understand why the People adopted the Junior-as-saint story. In total, more than a dozen suspects have been arrested in connection to the killing. Chicago-Area 2-Year-Old Critical After Shooting Self in Head When the attackers walk in, the worker points out where Junior is hiding, and he gets dragged outof the store. Forsyth County prosecutors rested their case Tuesday morning. Content should be organized in different stages, from when potential clients search for initial information to eventually contacting your law firm. Hes at home with his mother. Kevin Alvarez, who pleaded guilty a weeks ago, took the stand to testify on behalf of the prosecution. Several of the gang members got out of the cars and surrounded Lesandro, asking him questions. In the video, we see the 15 . Heres How To Get Yours Right. 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. The cars briefly stop at this intersection, and then turn left in the direction of Juniors path. But in this case, she couldnt. He believed hed found a place to belong. Police have identified them as: Danel Fernandez, Kevin Alvarez, and Michael Sosa Reyes, who has not been charged in relation to Juniors killing. His history was whitewashed. The friend says they felt things were getting dicey and went inside. Some Work Things Are Optional. Stuck Drafting A Tough Brief? The second day of trial in the killing of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was emotional and filled with graphic video and photos. Frederick Then was arrested in 2018 in connection with Lesandros death. Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most your children. Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Reyes described how their subsets of the Trinitarios terrorized rivals, including a Trinitarios splinter group called Sunset. 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. All rights reserved, Long Island Driver Wanted for Running From Deadly 7-Car Pileup, Upper East Side Deli Killer Clad in Hazmat Suit Likely Serial Robber: Sources, A dozen alleged gang members were indicted July 18, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Flight Attendant Hit the Ceiling': 7 Hospitalized After Severe Turbulence Diverts Flight to Virginia, Fight for NY Casino License Heats Up as Developers Drop Coney Island Boardwalk First Look, Viral Kids' Star Ms. Rachel Is Taking a Break From Social Media After Backlash Over Co-Star Who Uses They/Them Pronouns, The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced the cause of death for slain teen Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, The OCME said Wednesday the Bronx teens June 20 death was a stab wound to the neck and classified the death as a homicide, Alleged gang members have been indicted on murder, manslaughter, conspiracy and other charges. Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz case: Five guilty of murder in mistaken Nothing can. People visit murder site to mourn the death of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz in Bronx in New York, United States on June 27, 2018. . 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. Dr. Sophia Rodriguez from the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed Juniors autopsy and testified that the more than 4-inch deep wound was caused by a single-edge knife or blade. #justiceforjunior #ripjunior ALL THAT MUST STOP . 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. Their trial provided a glimpse inside the violent Trinitarios gang, whose members mistook 15-year-old Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz for a rival. 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. She has not been back to court since. The murder of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, known as Junior, drew outrage across New York City. Prosecution rests in Junior case after showing graphic autopsy photo Guzman-Feliz's death sparked outrage in the Bronx and beyond and spurred the allocation of $18 million toward gang prevention in the borough. The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced the cause of death for slain teen Lesandro Guzman-Feliz. 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. After the attack, the gang returned to Mr. Sueros home on Boston Road, Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Reyes said. However, police have said the teens murder was a case of mistaken identity. 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. Witnesses say these two police officers stood by watching the scene. 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. 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. There, leaders passed around cellphone pictures of various Sunset members and asked the returning soldiers to identify the person they stabbed. Meanwhile, the defense argued that testimony supports that the suspects didnt mean to kill Guzman-Feliz. Junior stumbles back into the bodega, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. 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. She said the jugular wound caused him to lose a lot of blood, but blood rushed out more quickly because no one applied pressure and he ran to the hospital. Junior then comes back to the store bloodied. They face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole on the murder conviction. Junior killing, one year later: How police, others are fighting gang Crime Scene Unit Det. Our investigation retraces his last steps and reveals how a recent wave of violence took his life just two blocks from home. [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. Prosecutors previously said the teen succumbed to a neck wound caused by a 4-and-a-half inch knife that severed his jugular vein. 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. Hundreds attended his funeral last summer. In a panic, he tries to hide behind the counter. Richard Harbus "A Bronx jury found the two leaders guilty for their role in the murder, closing another chapter of. Add AI Research And Catching Up With Your Law School Buds To The Career Growth List -- See Also, Reach out just to catch up. But Reyes told the court that he couldnt follow through with Sueros order after looking Junior in the face. Mr. Reyes testified that Lesandro responded by raising his hand and saying Que lo siete, which Mr. Reyes said signaled that the teenager was a Sunset member. Henry also told of discovering a five-inch blade inside the passenger seat pocket of suspect Kevins Alvarezs 2003 gray Acura. 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. Is that why Junior was targeted? They also face manslaughter, conspiracy, gang assault and weapons charges. Fellow defendant Jose Muniz was heard saying "Trinitarios to the day I die" as he left the courtroom following the guilty verdicts. 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. Then he walked toward Adams Place, where he sometimes met with friends. His English was poor. He was a skinny kid, just 120 pounds, 56 inches tall. Junior gestures for someone to call 911. 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The New York City Police Foundation announced it planned to set up a scholarship in his name. 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 . Junior suffered multiple wounds to his face, back, chest, legs and hands. 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. 2-year-old Joliet boy finds unsecured gun, shoots himself in the head 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. That isgonna stick with this jury for the rest of the weekend, he says. Junior's parents were not in court, having been warned the images would be shown. Junior was spotted walking late at night in the Bronx neighborhood frequented by the Sunsets. The family of Junior had mixed emotions after the verdicts were announced, but Guzman's brother said ultimately, "justice was served. 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. 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. "Today's verdicts will not bring Junior back. Diego Suero leaving the 48th Precinct in the Bronx. The teen reportedly bled to death steps from the emergency room. Sofia Henry also testified Thursday, telling jurors about photos she took on the night of the incident. Dixon's closing arguments also included the presentation of autopsy photos showing the wound to Guzman-Feliz's neck which reportedly killed him. Police had seized the footage that night and it got leaked. It is unclear what the jury decided on. Amazingly, a customer is seen purchasing an item over Juniors blood. Theodore Parisienne for The New York Times. 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. ALL 8 SUSPECTS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED #justiceforjunior #JUNIOR #ripjunior #JUSTICE4JUNIOR #justice #bronx. 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.