Latest news with #Trinitarios
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bronx gang member who struck fatal knife blow against Lesandro ‘Junior' Guzman Feliz resentenced
The Bronx gang member accused of delivering the fatal blow against 15-year-old Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman Feliz, but managed to get his first-degree murder conviction tossed, was resentenced to 25 years to life in the case that rattled the city to its core, officials said Saturday. Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, 30, was initially facing life in prison without the possibility of parole when an appeals court vacated his murder one conviction in 2023, finding that 'the evidence did not establish the very specific elements of that crime.' Martinez-Estrella remained convicted of second-degree murder, conspiracy, and gang assault. On Friday, a Bronx Criminal Court judge resentenced him to 25 years to life, Bronx DA Darcel Clark said. 'Thirteen other defendants who had a role in Junior's murder on June 20, 2018, have been held accountable for their actions and remain in prison serving their respective sentences,' Clark said. The killing, in which Junior was dragged into the street and slashed to death, drew outrage in the city at the time. The suspects, members of the Trinitarios gang were looking for a rival gang known as the Sunsets when they spotted their 15-year-old victim, police said at the time. Mistaking Junior for a Sunset member, they chased the teen to the Cruz and Chiky Grocery on E. 183rd St. near Bathgate Ave. in Belmont. There, several members yanked Junior out of the deli and butchered him with knives and a machete. Martinez-Estrella was caught on camera 'holding Junior by his sweatshirt' before he 'thrust his large knife directly into Junior's throat,' according to court papers. 'It is undisputed that the resulting wound, which was 4 and a half inches deep and severed the jugular vein, was the sole cause of death,' the documents read. A jury convicted Martinez-Estrella of first-degree murder, but the appellate court determined that prosecutors provided evidence that the one blow was a 'course of conduct' that inflicted 'extreme physical pain,' or that he 'evidenced a sense of pleasure in the infliction of extreme physical pain' — both requirements for the charge. In an exclusive 2019 interview Martinez-Estrella claimed he didn't kill Junior. He said he didn't have a tattoo like the one depicted on the killer and was in Pennsylvania at the time of the murder. '[I] didn't even know what Junior looked like until I saw his face on television,' he said at a Manhattan Detention Center awaiting trial.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bronx gang member who struck fatal knife blow against Lesandro ‘Junior' Guzman Feliz resentenced
The Bronx gang member accused of delivering the fatal blow against 15-year-old Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman Feliz, but managed to get his first-degree murder conviction tossed, was resentenced to 25 years to life in the case that rattled the city to its core, officials said Saturday. Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, 30, was initially facing life in prison without the possibility of parole when an appeals court vacated his murder one conviction in 2023, finding that 'the evidence did not establish the very specific elements of that crime.' Martinez-Estrella remained convicted of second-degree murder, conspiracy, and gang assault. On Friday, a Bronx Criminal Court judge resentenced him to 25 years to life, Bronx DA Darcel Clark said. 'Thirteen other defendants who had a role in Junior's murder on June 20, 2018, have been held accountable for their actions and remain in prison serving their respective sentences,' Clark said. The killing, in which Junior was dragged into the street and slashed to death, drew outrage in the city at the time. The suspects, members of the Trinitarios gang were looking for a rival gang known as the Sunsets when they spotted their 15-year-old victim, police said at the time. Mistaking Junior for a Sunset member, they chased the teen to the Cruz and Chiky Grocery on E. 183rd St. near Bathgate Ave. in Belmont. There, several members yanked Junior out of the deli and butchered him with knives and a machete. Martinez-Estrella was caught on camera 'holding Junior by his sweatshirt' before he 'thrust his large knife directly into Junior's throat,' according to court papers. 'It is undisputed that the resulting wound, which was 4 and a half inches deep and severed the jugular vein, was the sole cause of death,' the documents read. A jury convicted Martinez-Estrella of first-degree murder, but the appellate court determined that prosecutors provided evidence that the one blow was a 'course of conduct' that inflicted 'extreme physical pain,' or that he 'evidenced a sense of pleasure in the infliction of extreme physical pain' — both requirements for the charge. In an exclusive 2019 interview Martinez-Estrella claimed he didn't kill Junior. He said he didn't have a tattoo like the one depicted on the killer and was in Pennsylvania at the time of the murder. '[I] didn't even know what Junior looked like until I saw his face on television,' he said at a Manhattan Detention Center awaiting trial.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Thug convicted in vicious 2018 gang slaying of ‘Junior' Guzman-Feliz gets new sentence after NY court tossed first-degree murder rap
A Bronx hood convicted in the vicious gang slaying of 15-year-old Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz was hit with a new prison sentence after a state appeals court tossed his first-degree murder rap. Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, 27, was among two dozen members of the 'Trinitarios' street gang busted in the shocking June 20, 2018, caught-on-video attack on the teenager at the Zesarina Grocery store in Belmont, in what authorities said was a case of mistaken identity. Martinez-Estrella was found guilty of first- and second-degree murder in the case in 2019, and was sentenced to a prison term of life without parole for allegedly delivering the death blow to the teen. But the convicted killer appealed and, in 2023, a New York State Appellate Division panel threw out the top charge, which carries the life without parole sentence. 'The evidence established that defendant committed an extremely heinous second-degree murder,' the panel's decision said. 'However, we vacate his conviction of first-degree murder under [the law] because the evidence did not establish the very specific element of that crime.' Shipped back to Bronx Supreme Court, Martinez-Estrella was hit with the top sentence of 25 years to life behind bars on the second-degree murder charge, Bronx prosecutors said. The vicious murder shocked the Big Apple for its senseless brutality. Martinez-Estrella and his cowardly crew were out looking for members of the rival 'Sunsets' gang when they spotted Guzman-Feliz near the bodega — and chased him inside. Despite the teen's claims that he wasn't a gang member, the mob beat him in the store, then dragged him into the street and hacked him to death with knives and machetes, leaving his lifeless body behind. Following the arrests, the smug killers smiled and flashed gang signs in court. But justice eventually caught up with all of the suspects. 'Thirteen other defendants who had a role in Junior's murder on June 20, 2018, have been held accountable for their actions and remain in prison serving their respective sentences,' the Bronx District Attorney's Office said in a press release Friday.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
'Gang member' arrested in Spain over the murder of a British 21-year-old after international manhunt
An alleged gang member wanted over the fatal stabbing of a young man in London has been arrested near Barcelona following an international manhunt. Spanish police detained the fugitive at the request of UK authorities and said that he belonged to the notorious Latin gang Trinitarios. The unnamed detainee, wanted in connection with the death of 21-year-old Giovanny Rendon Bedoya in Walworth, south London, on April 14, was arrested as he entered a restaurant in the town of Sabadell around 15 miles north-west of Barcelona. He now faces extradition to the UK and a possible 'life sentence,' according to Spanish authorities. MailOnline has approached Metropolitan Police for comment. Giovanny died after he was attacked on Hillingdon Street last month following reports of fighting between a number of people armed with knives. The 21-year-old, who lived locally, sustained serious injuries and was treated by the London Ambulance Service before he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. He was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of police and paramedics to save him. Following the incident five men and a woman were detained near Kennington but had been bailed. Four of the men have been named by police as Joseph Jimenez, 21; Angel Gonzales Angulo, 19; Brian Villada-Hernandes, 19; and Zozoro Mohamed Olivier, 20. Cops previously said a 17-year-old boy was also arrested on suspicion of murder. Confirming the arrest near Barcelona today, Spain's National Police said in a statement: 'National Police officers have arrested a member of the Trinitarios gang in the town of Sabadell in Barcelona who is wanted by the British justice system after allegedly committing a murder in the United Kingdom. 'An international arrest warrant was issued for him after the crime which took place on April 14. 'He could face a life sentence for attacking with five other alleged members of the same gang, another young man from a rival gang who was killed. 'The investigation was launched by the British authorities on 14 April when the fugitive and five other alleged members of the Trinitarios gang violently accosted another young man from a rival gang following a dispute. 'During the assault, they allegedly caused serious injuries to the victim including the amputation of fingers, the loss of an organ and multiple fractures and stabbed him in the abdomen, resulting in his death. 'After the man arrested in Sabadell was identified as one of the alleged perpetrators, it was discovered that he could be in Spain with the intention of fleeing to his native Dominican Republic. 'Once the British National Crime Agency liaison officers informed Spanish officers the fugitive could be here, they began an investigation to locate and arrest him. 'The initial investigations by officers revealed he could be hiding somewhere in the province of Barcelona, and surveillance and tracking was undertaken in the areas he could frequent. 'During one of the surveillance operations, the fugitive was located when he was about to enter a restaurant and identified and arrested.' The Trinitarios gang is said to have been founded in 1993 by two Dominicans facing separate murder charges being held in the Rikers Islands New York City jail. Spiralling violence around Madrid in recent years has been blamed on the fracturing and spread of Dominican gangs which have become Spain's primary urban security threat.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Mobster from notorious Trinitarios gang that was targeted in Trump crime crackdown arrested in Spain after London murder
Trinitarios gang members were described as 'animals' by Donald Trump earlier this year GANG ARREST Mobster from notorious Trinitarios gang that was targeted in Trump crime crackdown arrested in Spain after London murder Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN ALLEGED gang member wanted over the fatal stabbing of a young man in London has been arrested in Spain. Six mobsters went on the run after the tragic murder of 21-year-old Giovanny Rendon Bedoya in Walworth, south London, on April 21. 3 An alleged gang member wanted over the fatal stabbing of a young man in London has been arrested near Barcelona Credit: Solarpix 3 Several men went on the run after the tragic murder of 21-year-old Giovanny Rendon Bedoya in Walworth, south London, on April 21 Credit: Solarpix The fugitive was detained at the request of British authorities in the town of Sabadell around 15 miles north-west of the Catalan capital as he entered a restaurant, Spanish police said. He is said to belong to the dangerous Latin gang known as the Trinitarios. They have become a major security threat across much of Europe in recent years especially in cities like Madrid and London. The alleged killer is now facing extradition to the UK and a possible "life sentence" according to Spanish cops. read more in stabbings LOVE RAGE Woman who killed her boyfriend by stabbing his heart is jailed for 16 years Met Police pleaded for information around the death of Giovanny earlier this year. It comes as three of the six people initially arrested have now been bailed pending further inquiries. In the latest update this month, they said a fourth man has now been charged with murder. All four men have been named by police as Joseph Jimenez, 21, Angel Gonzales Angulo, 19, Brian Villada-Hernandes, 19, and Zozoro Mohamed Olivier, 20. Cops previously said a 17-year-old boy was also arrested on suspicion of murder. Confirming the latest arrest near Barcelona today, Spain's National Police said in a statement: 'National Police officers have arrested a member of the Trinitarios gang in the town of Sabadell in Barcelona who is wanted by the British justice system after allegedly committing a murder in the United Kingdom. Irishman fighting for life after being shot in Spain as 2 arrested 'An international arrest warrant was issued for him after the crime which took place on April 14. 'He could face a life sentence for attacking with five other alleged members of the same gang, another young man from a rival gang who was killed. 'The investigation was launched by the British authorities on 14 April when the fugitive and five other alleged members of the Trinitarios gang violently accosted another young man from a rival gang following a dispute." Giovanny was attacked just after 9pm and was left with serious injuries which resulted in the amputation of fingers, the loss of an organ and multiple fractures. These injuries resulted in his death, police confirmed at the time. The Trinitarios gang is said to have been founded in 1993 by two Dominicans facing separate murder charges being held in the Rikers Islands New York City jail. The gang's notoriety across the globe even caused them to be scrutinised by the Trump administration this year. Donald Trump described them as "animals" as he carried out his sweeping sanctions on US criminal enterprises. Nearly two dozen Trinitarios gang members were hit with RICO conspiracy charges in February. They were accused of six murders and 11 attempted murders, according to the US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts. Spiralling violence around Madrid in recent years has been blamed on the fracturing and spread of Dominican gangs which have become Spain's primary urban security threat. Officials believe the man arrested today may have been in Spain trying to flee to the Dominican Republic. The Sun has contacted the Metropolitan Police for further comment.
