Five Alleged Gang Members Found Guilty of Butchering Bronx Teen

After eight hours of deliberation, a Bronx jury delivered Justice for Junior.

It was nearly one year ago when 15-year-old Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was brutally stabbed in what police called a case of mistaken identity. The five suspected gang members who allegedly carried out the attack were convicted Friday of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, conspiracy, and gang assault.

"Junior came to symbolize all of the young people who have lost their lives to brutal gang violence," Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said, according to the Daily News. "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.”

Surveillance footage showed the suspects following the teen into a Bronx bodega before grabbing him and dragging him to the door. Guzman-Feliz was then stabbed multiple times with knives and machetes, resulting in severe wounds to his jugular. The teen managed to run toward a nearby hospital, but succumbed to his injuries shortly after. 

The five defendants—Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Manuel Rivera, Elvin Garcia, Jose Muniz, and Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago—were among more than a dozen men who were arrested in connection with the killing. The remaining suspects will go to trial at a later date.

NYC police say Guzman-Feliz was targeted because the suspects mistakenly believed he was a member of a rival gang. 

"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 the victim's mother, Leandra Feliz. "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)."

All five defendants are facing life without parole. They will be sentenced on July 16.