JUSTICE FOR JUNIOR
5 guilty in machete slay of Bronx teen Jury needs 8 hrs. to convict gangbangers Vic’s ma: They won’t be killing other kids
Five merciless Bronx gangbangers were convicted of murder Friday for butchering an innocent 15-year-old aspiring cop in a gory explosion of misdirected vengeance.
A Bronx jury deliberated for just eight hours over two days before convicting the killer quintet of Trinitarios first-degree murder, seconddegree murder, conspiracy and gang assault in a courtroom ringed with more than three dozen court officers. The verdict came just six days before the first anniversary of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz’s savage slaying in a mistaken identity killing that broke the city’s collective heart.
All face life without parole for dragging the terrified teen from a Bronx bodega and fatally gashing the youth with a machete and knives as he begged for mercy. The killers were looking to exact payback on a rival gang when they wrongly went after Junior, who was a member of the NYPD’s Explorers program and hoped to become a police detective.
While one unrepentant killer shouted out a Trinitarios gang greeting in Spanish after the verdict, the slain youth’s mother took no joy in the convictions.
“I’m not going to have my son back, but those killers, those murderers, they’re not going to be outside killing other kids,” said Leandra Feliz, who opted to watch the verdict in a different courtroom via livestream. “My son was a good kid, he was only 15 years old … He was a really good kid. He’d never been in any trouble in his life until those kids murdered (him).”
The mom, who suffered several emotional outbursts during the difficult five-week trial, appeared relieved outside court — as if a heavy
weight was lifted by the sweeping verdict in the June 20, 2018, killing of her beloved boy.
“Junior came to symbolize all of the young people who have lost their lives to brutal gang violence,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. “Today’s verdict fortifies the Bronx community’s stand against violence … We hope that the verdicts bring some consolation to his family, who have endured so much pain.”
Scores of the slain teen’s supporters inside and outside the courthouse cheered the verdict, with many carrying signs reading “Justice for Junior.”
Defendants Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Elvin Garcia, Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago and Manuel Rivera showed no emotion as the cascade of guilty verdicts filled the Bronx courtroom. The fifth killer, Jose Muniz, yelled “Hasta la muerte!” — Spanish for “Till Death” — in a declaration of gang solidarity.
The defendants, all members of the Trinitarios street gang, descended on the helpless and outnumbered victim as Junior battled desperately for his life.
Muniz was identified as the machete-waving man attacking Junior, while Estrella was seen plunging what appears to be a bread knife through the youth’s neck as the killing came to an end.
The first-degree murder conviction meant the jury determined that Junior was tortured before his tormentors finally killed him.
Sentencing was set for July 16, with Junior’s older brother Manny Ortiz hopeful that all five will receive the maximum jail terms.
“Life without parole, that’s what we’re expecting,” said Ortiz, 32, who was cheered as he left the courthouse. “I’m very happy. It was expected. They all were guilty, and a jury found them guilty. Justice for Junior.”
A pair of turncoat witnesses testified against their former gang brethren, with one recounting the directions given to the killers by reputed Los Sures boss Diego Suero.
“If you have a gun, you shoot,” he allegedly instructed his underlings. “If you have a knife, you stab. If you have a machete, use a machete.”
The cooperators avoided any jail time by cutting their deal with prosecutors before the trial started on May 6, with prosecutors arguing the teen’s death was a calculated killing ordered by a gang leaders.
The trial took its toll on the victim’s mother, who at one point wailed incoherently during a court session where graphic video of her dying son clutching at a fatal neck wound was shown. Court officers were needed to remove her from the building.
The graphic surveillance video of her son’s death was played several times during the trial, and the jury took one final look after starting their deliberations Thursday.
Junior’s father echoed the sentiments of other family members about the verdict.
“It’s a good decision,” said Lisandro Guzman outside the courthouse. “My son is not going to come back. But at least those villains are not going to be back on the streets.”