Defendants Allegedly Plotted to Attack an Upstart Set;
Encountered Random Victim, Chased Him Into Bodega,
Dragged Him Out and Attacked Him With Knives And Machete
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and New York City Police Commissioner
James P. O'Neill today announced that 12 men have been indicted in the fatal stabbing of 15-
year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz on June 20, 2018 in the Bronx.
District Attorney Clark said, “This crime was nothing less than ferocious. The defendants
were out for violence. They came upon the 15-year-old boy, Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz,
chased him into a store, dragged him out and stabbed and slashed him.”
“I commend the Homicide Bureau and the Narcotics & Gangs Investigation Bureau
prosecutors for their diligence in this case, along with the NYPD detectives from Bronx
Homicide and the 48th Precinct. This indictment is an early step in the criminal justice process,
so I ask the community to be patient as the case takes it course. The investigation is ongoing.”
“We will not tolerate violence by gangs on our streets. I urge the community to continue
to be our partner to save our youth.”
Commissioner O'Neill said, “The notion that anyone - or any group of people - somehow
thinks that committing such an act in New York City is OK, is abhorrent at its core. Criminal
groups continue to threaten public safety and quality of life in some New York City
neighborhoods. The NYPD will remain vigilant in the face of this threat, but our mission is
dependent on a major buy-in from the public we serve. And that's why - through Neighborhood
Policing - we're making huge efforts to build trust and to strengthen relationships in every
community. Because in every single case, we need all New Yorkers' help - just like we saw
with the good people of the Bronx, who helped bring about justice for Junior."
District Attorney Clark said five of the defendants--Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Antonio
Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, Jose Muniz, Manuel Rivera, and Elvin Garcia--have been
indicted on first-degree Murder, under Penal Law 125.27 (1) (a) (x), intentional murder which
included torture.
All twelve defendants have been charged with second-degree Murder, first-degree
Manslaughter, second-degree Conspiracy, first-degree Gang Assault, second-degree Gang
Assault, and fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. They were arraigned today
before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. Remand was continued. If convicted of
the top charge of first-degree Murder, defendants can face up to life in prison without the
possibility of parole.
According to the investigation, on June 20, 2018, the defendants, who allegedly are part
of the “Los Sures” set of the Trinitarios gang, gathered at the Boston Road home of Diego
Suero, alleged leader of Los Sures, to plan to commit violence against another set of the
Trinitarios called “Sunset.” The defendants then travelled in four cars, and came upon the
victim, who fled from them, running approximately four blocks to a bodega in Belmont, where
he tried to hide.
According to the investigation the defendants are then seen in surveillance footage from
the store cameras entering the bodega, then dragging the victim out of the store as he fought
for his life. When the victim was forcefully taken from the store, five defendants repeatedly
stabbed and slashed him with knives and a machete in the neck and body. The victim ran from
the bodega to St. Barnabas Hospital and collapsed near the entrance.
According to the investigation, after the stabbing, the defendants fled and went back to
Diego Suero’s home to hide weapons and provide aid to Elvin Garcia, whose hand was cut in
the midst of the multiple stabbings the victim received. Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Antonio
Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, Jose Muniz, Manuel Rivera, Danel Fernandez and Jose
Tavarez then fled and were ultimately arrested in Paterson, New Jersey on June 24, 2018. Five
other defendants were arrested in the Bronx, and one was detained on July 9, 2018 in
Connecticut, where he had fled.
The investigation is ongoing.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detectives Frank Orlando of the Bronx
Homicide Task Force and Joseph Flores of the 48th Precinct Squad for their work on the
investigation. District Attorney Clark thanked her Detective Investigators for their assistance.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
Defendants
Kevin Alvarez, 19, Bronx, N.Y.
Elvin Garcia, 23, Manhattan, N.Y.
Antonio Rodriguez Hernández Santiago, 24, Bronx, N.Y.
Manuel Rivera, 18, Bronx, N.Y.
Danel Fernandez, 21, Bronx N.Y.
Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, 24, Freeport, Long Island, N.Y.
Jose Muniz, 22, Bronx, N.Y.
Jose Tavarez, 21, Bronx, N.Y.
Danilo Payamps Pacheco, 21, Bronx, N.Y.
Diego Suero, 29, Bronx, N.Y.
Gabriel Ramirez Concepcion, 26, Bronx, N.Y.
Luis Cabrera Santos, AKA Luis Rodriguez, 25, Bronx, N.Y
