New York police arrest 7 in machete slaying of teen
NEW YORK — At least seven people were being held in connection with last week’s fatal stabbing of a Bronx teenager whose attack was caught on video, prompting an outcry on social media and triggering a flood of tips to the police.
Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, 15, was dragged out of a bodega in the Belmont neighborhood June 20 and stabbed with machetes by several attackers in what investigators suspect was a case of mistaken identity by members of a gang, prosecutors said.
Hundreds of mourners gathered at the Ralph G. Ortiz Funeral Home on Southern Boulevard to remember the teenager, whose family said he had dreamed of becoming a police detective. The line to enter the funeral home wrapped around the block; many carried white roses and chanted “Justice for Junior!”
The police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, was among those who turned out for the wake.
The rapper Cardi B and New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia were among those who spoke out, and former New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony visited Lesandro’s family.
One suspect, Kevin J. Alvarez, 19, was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, assault and gang assault during an arraignment at criminal court in the Bronx. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was ordered held without bail. Six others were awaiting extradition from New Jersey.
The lawyer hired by Alvarez’s family, Manuel Portela, urged patience.
“The family of my client have expressed that their hearts go out to the victims in this case,” Portela said. “But we are going to ask for the public to allow the judicial process to take its place.”
Alvarez stood quietly in handcuffs as Masateru Marubashi, an assistant district attorney, described the crime. Family members and supporters of Alvarez looked on as Marubashi identified him as one of several people who dragged Lesandro from the bodega and, once outside, “stabbed him and slashed him numerous times with machetes.”
The slaying was captured on video by surveillance cameras and a cellphone. It sparked outrage on social media, and investigators were flooded with photos and other tips that the police said helped to identify and locate the suspects.
The police have said there is a strong possibility that the killing was carried out by members of the Trinitarios, a Dominican gang based in New York, and said there was no evidence that Lesandro was the person they had been searching for.