Judge sentences teen to 21 years in prison in slaying
Elias Alvarado and Angel Guichardo each had a gun when they walked into a convenience store one day earlier this year.
They wanted a third gun — specifically the one Teryton Bonner carried in his pocket.
So, they shot him for it and left him to die, just a few feet from a row of gas pumps.
Now, Alvarado will spend the next two decades behind bars for his role in Bonner’s violent death.
Alvarado, 18, faced as much as 55 years in prison for the Feb. 6 killing. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Mark A. Sanders on Wednesday sentenced him to 21 years and ordered him to 10 years of extended supervision when he’s released.
Assistant District Attorney Paul Tiffin said Alvarado and Guichardo wanted to rob Bonner. They saw a gun in his pocket as he stood in line at the store, waiting to buy snacks and wanted to take it from him.
Alvarado pleaded guilty to felony murder July 6, online court records show.
“We lost someone so special. Nothing could have prepared us” for this, said Bonner’s mother, Leena Denny. “You’ve taken our son’s life, but not his soul. It belongs to God.”
“When the day comes, you will have to answer for your reckless actions and behavior.”
Bonner regularly visited the Amstar gas station on the 1700 block of West Rogers Street. On Feb. 16, he entered the store and went to the coolers. Two other men came in and also made their way to the coolers, according to a criminal complaint. Bonner later went to the counter to buy some items. The clerk said Bonner was carrying a gun in his right front pants pocket.
Bonner left the store with his items, put on his earbuds and walked toward his house. The two men walked toward the register, but abandoned their items when Bonner exited and followed him.
Outside, the two men caught up to Bonner and one of them put a gun to his neck. The clerk then heard a single gunshot. Video from outside the store showed one of the men removing something from Bonner’s front right pocket. Both men fled afterward.
Investigators were able to connect Alvarado to the killing with a left palm print found on a soda can on the counter. They later went to his home on South 16th Street and spoke to a brother, who also identified Guichardo from a picture from the store video.
Guichardo, 18, was arrested at his job in Grafton four days after the killing. Alvarado fled to Mexico, but eventually surrendered to authorities at the U.S.Mexico border and was returned to Milwaukee. Online jail logs say Alvarado was booked March 18.
Family members said Bonner was raised in and around the military; his stepfather was in the Army, and Bonner lived “a pretty sheltered life” away from high-crime areas, his aunt Junell Bannister said in a victim impact statement to the court. He decided to return to Milwaukee to live with his father and sister after getting into trouble. Bannister was concerned for Bonner’s safety and was skeptical about him living in the city. He had been in Milwaukee for less than a year at the time he was killed.
Denny described coordinating the funeral for her only son as “the most depressing and traumatizing moment” in her family’s life.
“Every day, our family wakes up without him. Most of the time, I feel guilty for moving forward in life, knowing his was shortened,” she said.
Sanders said Alvarado’s youthful self-absorption and “violent naiveness” resulted in the death of a father-to-be who doted on sharing breakfast some mornings with his grandmother, Diane Buchanan.
“I miss my grandbaby everyday,” said Buchanan, her voice choked by tears.
Court records show a plea hearing for Guichardo is scheduled for Sept. 6.