A gang member who dragged a 15-year-old Bronx boy to his death last year will not get prison time.
The brutal stabbing death of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, aka Junior, sparked outrage on social media.
Kevin Alvarez, 20, is seen in surveillance video dragging Junior out of the Cruz & Chicky bodega on June 20, 2018. The video shows 5 gang members slashing and stabbing Junior as he fought for his life.
Eight gang members, including Alvarez, were arrested and charged with Junior’s murder. But Alvarez will get time served in a sweetheart deal that allows him to walk free, according to the Daily Mail.
Tragically, Junior was an innocent victim of a mistaken identity. The thugs believed he was a rival gang member who filmed a SnapChat video that showed a man having sex with the little sister of one of the gang members.
During the murder trial on Tuesday, Alvarez told the stunned courtroom that he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 1st-degree. Courtroom observers gasped when he said his cooperation with prosecutors meant he will get time served.
The charge normally carries up to 25 years in prison.
Alvarez testified he entered the bodega on June 20 and punched Junior in the face and kicked him before dragging him out of the store. Other gang members slashed and stabbed him with a machete and knives.
Bleeding profusely from a chest wound, Junior stumbled across the street, pleading for help before he collapsed on a sidewalk. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
“It’s a sweetheart deal,” said attorney Christopher Carrión, referring to Alvarez’s plea deal. “He has a big incentive to tell the truth, because he has a manslaughter conviction of 25 years hanging over him if he lies or doesn’t cooperate.”
“If he satisfies the conditions, the manslaughter plea gets withdrawn and vacated, making him a free man.”
Alvarez said, due to his testimony, the Trinitarios gang marked him as a traitor. He has been in protective custody since striking the deal.
“Even when he’s freed, he will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life,” Carrión added.
