Silva sentenced to life for 2016 double murder in Hartford

HARTFORD — An impulsive act on a May night nearly three years ago destroyed the lives of three people and hurt so many more, including two children who will forever be separated from their parents, a judge told Joseph Silva on Thursday in Superior Court before sentencing him to life in prison.

Silva, 23, of Hartford, was convicted in October of two counts of murder and a single count of murder with special circumstances. He leaned back in his chair and showed little emotion as Hartford Superior Court Judge David P. Gold talked of Silva’s upbringing by a good family, his failure to finish high school, his work as a drug dealer and the violent act that will forever confine him to a state prison. Silva was 20 when he gunned down Joshua Cortez, 22, and Alysha Ocasio, 23, on Cowles Street in 2016.

Why Silva essentially executed the couple remains unclear. Silva had some sort of petty dispute with Cortez, and as a result Silva pulled out a handgun and shot

Cortez in the face as both men faced each other on Cowles Street in Hartford’s South End.

As Cortez fell to the ground, Silva fired a round into the top of his head. He then walked over to Ocasio’s Honda and fired several rounds into her chest, killing her.

Witnesses then heard Silva proclaim, “This is how Joseph Silva does it.”

“He took two people from this world for no reason whatsoever and left (a child) with no parents,” prosecutor Robin Krawczyk told the judge.

Nancy Navedo, Ocasio’s mother, told the judge that her daughter was her best friend and her confidant, and that she will never recover from losing her.

“There’s still an emptiness inside me that will haunt me for the rest of my life,” she said. Navedo said she expected to feel some joy in seeing her daughter’s killer sent off to prison forever, but she did not.

She said she was still heartbroken, felt empty and in pain. Still, she told Silva that she did not hate him. “I hate what he has done,” she said. “I hope Joseph asks for God’s forgiveness.”

Silva’s relatives told the judge that he was not the man described in court as a coldblooded killer.

His sister, Mara Silva, described him as “full of love and compassion” and the product of a good home and good parents who kept them on the straight and narrow. She said she disagreed with the jury and said her brother will appeal.

“He’s really a great human being, very caring and sincere,” said Maria Santos, Silva’s aunt. She said she was sorry about “whatever happened," but insisted Silva was innocent.

The jury that heard the state’s case against Silva disagreed, finding him guilty of the crimes in 18 minutes.

Earlier in the sentencing hearing Thursday, Silva’s lawyer asked Gold to order a new trial. He argued that the jury’s quick verdict was evidence it did not carefully weigh the evidence. Gold disagreed and denied the request.

The judge told Silva that he was raised by a family that cared about him and tried to steer him in the right direction, but he ignored them. Instead, he hung out with people on the street, failed to finish high school, made a living selling drugs and at some point obtained a pistol.

“These are all decisions that you made,” the judge told Silva. “You’re the person responsible for the grief showed by everyone here.” Silva set himself on a path toward tragedy, the judge said.

“The events of May 16, 2016, are as predictable as they are senseless,” Gold told Silva.

Under the law, a conviction for murder with special circumstances requires a sentence of life without the possibility of release. But even if he had not been required to impose that sentence, Gold told Silva that he would have because Silva’s crimes were coldblooded, depraved and callous.

Silva, dressed in an orange prison coveralls and with his head shaved, said nothing. His lawyer, Angel Lugo, advised him not to say anything since he maintains his innocence and plans an appeal.

David Owens can be reached at dowens@ courant.com.