Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Friday, Jan. 13, that six members of the “Los Sures” set of the Trinitarios gang have been sentenced to prison for their roles in the 2018 fatal stabbing of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman–Feliz, 15, bringing an end to the legal case.

 

In the context of the announcement, Clark said, “These six defendants, members of the Los Sures Trinitarios set, chased Lesandro ‘Junior’ Guzman–Feliz and dragged him out of [a] Belmont bodega where he was stabbed by five other defendants.” She added, “Their unconscionable 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 complete disregard for human life.”

Clark said the prosecution against all 13 defendants involved in the murder has now ended. “It brings closure in the criminal justice aspect but does not bring an end to the pain Junior’s family and friends still suffer,” the district attorney said. “They will never recover from their immense loss, but we hope it brings some peace to the community in knowing that these defendants will be in prison for years.”

 

District Attorney Clark said the defendants, Danilo Payamps Pacheco, 26, Ronald Urena, 33, Jose Tavarez, 26, Danel Fernandez, 26, and Gabriel Ramirez Concepcion, 30, were sentenced on Jan. 13 by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Ralph Fabrizio. Fernandez was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Urena was sentenced to 15 years in prison; Concepcion and Pacheco were sentenced to 12 years in prison, and Tavarez to 15 years in prison.

According to officials from the district attorney’s office, Luis Cabrera Santos, 29, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Jan. 10. They said that all were sentenced to five years’ post-release supervision and that the defendants had pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

 

As previously reported, and according to trial testimony, on the night of June 20, 2018, Diego Suero, the leader of the “Los Sures” set of the Trinitarios gang, and Frederic Then, second-in-command, summoned members to Suero’s home and ordered them to commit violence against another set of the Trinitarios called “Sunset.”

The members were in two vehicles when they came upon Junior and chased him to a bodega where he tried to hide. The teen was punched and dragged out of the store by the six defendants and hacked with knives and a machete by Jonaiki Martinez, Jose Muniz, Elvin Garcia, Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago and Manuel Rivera.

 

Four gang members were sentenced in 2019 to prison terms ranging from 23/25 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, as reported.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Morgan Dolan, counsel in the homicide bureau, under the supervision of Christine Scaccia, chief of the homicide bureau, and under the overall supervision of James Brennan, deputy chief of the trial division, and Theresa Gottlieb, chief of the trial division.

 

Clark thanked Assistant District Attorney Devin Horzempa of trial bureau 60 and Assistant District Attorney Masateru Marubashi of the homicide bureau for their assistance in the cases involving the previous co-defendants, and advocates, Laura Ramirez and Ana Pimentel, of the crime victims assistance bureau.

She also thanked Bronx District Attorney Detective Investigators, Theresa Ramos, principal supervising intelligence analyst at the crime strategies bureau, Eric Newman, video technician in the video unit, Oladimeji Gbolade, cell site analyst at the technical investigations bureau, and Francesca Castellanos of the interpreters unit.

 

Clark also thanked NYPD Detectives Frank Orlando of the Bronx homicide task force and Joseph Flores of the 48th Precinct for their work on the investigation.

Some friends of Junior’s spoke to Norwood News about his legacy on the first anniversary of his death in 2019. A street renaming in his honor had taken place earlier that year.