What to Know
- Six members of the Trinitarios gang were sentenced to prison for their role in the brutal stabbing of Lesando “Junior” Guzmán-Feliz in 2018, ending the case that rocked an entire community.
- Supposedly, according to testimony, the members were in two vehicles when they encountered Junior and chased him to a warehouse where the young man tried to hide.
- The video of the brutal murder went viral. He shook up the Bronx and the entire community, particularly since Junior was innocent and there was no evidence that he was linked to any gang, according to police.
Six members of the Trinitarios gang were sentenced to prison for their role in the brutal stabbing of Lesando “Junior” Guzmán-Feliz in 2018, ending the case that rocked an entire community.
Danilo Payamps Pacheco, 26, Ronald Ureña, 33, José Tavarez, 26, Danel Fernández, 26, and Gabriel Ramírez Concepción, 30, were sentenced Friday, according to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
Fernández was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Ureña was sentenced to 15 years in prison; Concepción and Pacheco were sentenced to 12 years in prison and Tavarez to 15 years in prison. Meanwhile, Luis Cabrera Santos, 29, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on January 10, 2023.
All were sentenced to five years of post-release supervision. The defendants had pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter.
According to trial testimony, on the night of June 20, 2018, Diego Suero, leader of the “Los Sures” group of the Trinitarios gang, and Frederic Then, second-in-command, summoned the members to Suero’s home and ordered them to commit violence against another group of Trinidadians called “Sunset”.
Supposedly, according to testimony, the members were in two vehicles when they encountered Junior and chased him to a warehouse where he tried to hide.
The teenager was beaten and dragged out of the store by the six defenders and beaten with knives and machetes by five individuals.
Four were sentenced in 2019 to prison terms ranging from 23 to 25 years to life in prison and one defendant was sentenced to life in prison. Suero and Then were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 2022.
The video of the brutal murder went viral. He shook up the Bronx and the entire community, particularly since Junior was innocent and there was no evidence that he was linked to any gang, according to police.
“These six defendants, members of the Los Sures Trinitarios group, pursued Lesandro “Junior” Guzmán-Feliz and dragged him out of the Belmont bodega, where five other defendants stabbed him. His irreconcilable actions led to the death of the 15-year-old boy. The shocking viral video of the attack left the Bronx community, and the world, horrified at such utter disregard for human life,” Clark said after sentencing.
“Our prosecution against the 13 defendants involved in the murder ends today. It brings closure on the criminal justice aspect, but it doesn’t end the pain Junior’s family and friends are still in. They will never recover from their immense loss, but we hope it brings some peace to the community knowing that these defendants will be in prison for years.”
