[h=2]'Ruthless Trinitarios gang leader' accused of ordering the machete hit on 15-year-old Bronx bodega boy scowls during perp walk as he becomes TENTH to face murder charge[/h]
Diego Suero, 29, allegedly ordered the brutal machete 'hit' on Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz on June 20
On Tuesday, he scowled on his perp walk to face charges of murder, manslaughter, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy
Ten members of the notorious Dominican gang, Trinitarios, have been arrested over the murder of Guzman-Feliz
The 15-year-old victim was hacked to death with a machete outside a Bronx bodega
It later turned out that he had been targeted in a case of mistaken identity
Trinitarios is tied to three attacks that occurred in The Bronx in just two weeks
An alleged leader of the ruthless Trinitarios gang scowled during his perp walk as he became the tenth member to face murder charges of the death of the 15-year-old boy hacked to death outside a Bronx bodega. Diego Suero, 29, is allegedly the gangster who ordered the brutal machete 'hit' on Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz on June 20. The fatal attack on Guzman-Feliz, which was caught on surveillance footage, later turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. On Tuesday, Suero was marched out of the 48th precinct in the Bronx to face charges of murder, manslaughter, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Suero was also charged with conspiracy.
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Diego Suero scowled at the press during his perp walk as he became the tenth member to face murder charges of the death of the 15-year-old boy hacked to death at a Bronx bodega
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Suero is allegedly the gangster who ordered the brutal machete 'hit' on Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz on June 20
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Suero was marched out of the 48th precinct in the Bronx to face charges of murder, manslaughter, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon
Ten members of the notorious Dominican gang, Trinitarios, have been arrested over the murder of Guzman-Feliz. But senior law officials told NBC that Suero, of the Bronx, was the leader who ordered the teen's death.
Gabriel Ramirez Concepcion, 26, who is also accused of being involved in Guzman-Feliz's death, was led out of the 48th precinct on Tuesday. The other eight suspects, who have all pleaded not guilty, are: Jose 'Canelito' Muniz, 21, Elvin Garcia, 23, Jose Taverez, 21, Manuel Rivera, 18, Danel Fernandez, 21, Joniki Martinez, 24, Santiago Rodriguez, 24, and Kevin Alvarez, 19. The suspected Trinitarios gangsters are accused of dragging Guzman-Feliz from a bodega on East 183rd Street on the night of June 20 and hacking him to death with a machete. The boy, known to his friends and family as 'Junior,' bled to death from a ghastly wound in his neck on the sidewalk, near his home. Seven of the suspects on Monday appeared in court for a pre-indictment hearing, which was attended by both of the victim's parents.
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Ten people have been arrested in the June 20 killing of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, 15 (left and right)
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The vicious attackers hacked the boy with a machete and appeared to stab him with a knife
The crime was so shocking that Rikers Island have been forced to separate the alleged gang members accused of killing Guzman-Feliz, from the general population for their own safety. Fernandez, Muniz, and Rodriguez have all been placed in a unit, typically meant to house 50 inmates, after receiving a barrage of death threats. Other inmates - even members of the Trinitarios gang - 'want blood from them', a source said, before noting this was the first time an entire unit at the jail had been dedicated to just three men. 'You have every Latin gang, including the Trinitarios, after them,' the source told New York PIX11. 'They brought a lot of heat to the Trinitarios gang, which is why they are making threats against their own right now.' Fernandez, Muniz and Rodriguez are occupying three cells inside a unit at the George R. Vierno Center, leaving all 47 others empty. A recent fall in the jail population means there is plenty of spare capacity. Rivera is also being held at Rikers but is in the general population as he is seen as less at risk, while Taverez, Garcia, Martinez, and Alvarez, are being held at different jails.
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Ten members of the notorious Dominican gang, Trinitarios, have been arrested over the murder of Guzman-Feliz
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But senior law officials say that Suero, of the Bronx, was the leader who ordered the teen's death
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Gabriel Ramirez Conception is also suspected of participating in the 'hit' on Lesandro 'Junior'
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Guzman-Feliz was also walked out of the 48th precinct in the Bronx on Tuesday
Protective measures are standard procedure in most jails for high-profile inmates or those under threat. Another source was quoted telling the New York Post, 'Everyone wants a piece of them. They got around-the-clock security at their door You can't get near them.' Prosecutors say the shocking murder was a case of mistaken identity, when one of the gang members falsely believed Guzman to be a man he'd seen having sex with a female love interest in a Snapchat video. The case has drawn national outrage and fury at the Dominican street gang, with one member even apologizing to the victim's family over social media. On Saturday, two of the suspects spoke out to protest their innocence, saying they had no part in the grisly crime. Martinez-Estrella told the New York Daily News that he was hundreds of miles away in Pennsylvania when Guzman was forcibly dragged from the bodega and hacked to death on the sidewalk.
Police say that Martinez-Estrella was the one who delivered the fatal blow that ended Guzman's life. But his defense attorney points out that the attacker caught on tape has a tattoo on his neck, while his client does not. 'Look at my neck,' said Martinez-Estrella. 'I have nothing.' Meanwhile, Tavarez told the newspaper that his sole focus over the last year has been working towards earning his high school diploma and avoiding street violence. 'I'm a guy who works and studies,' Tavarez claimed from behind bars. 'I don't have the heart to kill anyone.'
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Three of the men accused of killing Bronx boy Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz have been moved into their own unit at Rikers Island jail. Pictured are Jose Muniz, 21, (left) and Santiago Rodriguez, 24, (right) at Bronx Criminal Court on June 27
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Fernandez, Muniz and Rodriguez are occupying three cells inside a unit at the George R. Vierno Center, leaving all 47 others empty. Pictured is the jail of which the unit is a part
While Tavarez admits he was at the bodega on the night of Guzman's killing, he said that Martinez-Estrella was not. He also said that he ran the moment someone pulled out a weapon. 'I ran into the bodega because I was afraid,' Tavarez said in Spanish. 'I saw the guys with the machete and I got scared.' The murder suspect also insisted that Guzman-Feliz is 'not the innocent child everyone is claiming he is,' but says that family still deserves justice. 'You come to New York to make your life better,' Tavarez said. 'I am not that kind of guy (who would do anything like this).' Guzman was a member of the NYPD Explorer program and dreamed of someday becoming a cop. He was also remembered as a die-hard Yankees fan. He was buried on Wednesday after a funeral service attended by thousands.
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Mourners gathered outside the shuttered bodega where the attack occurred on June 26 to pay tribute to Guzman-Feliz
Two more suspects were arrested and taken into custody on Tuesday over the killing, including 29-year-old Diego Suero, who is accused of ordering the attack. He was charged with murder, manslaughter, gang assault, conspiracy and criminal possession of a weapon. Police suspect that the Trinitarios gang, which has been around since the 1980s, may be responsible for carrying our three separate attacks on teenagers in The Bronx in just two weeks. On June 8, a 17-year-old boy was accosted by three suspected gangsters in the Kingsbridge section of The Bronx and sliced in the head with a knife. Two days before Guzman-Feliz was slashed in the neck outside the deli, a large pack of suspected Trinitarios members repeatedly stabbed a 14-year-old boy on the media of the Bronx River Parkway. Unlike Guzman-Feliz, the victims in the two earlier attacks survived.
[h=3]Inside the Trinitarios, the ruthless Dominican gang behind three attacks on Bronx teens[/h]The brutal machete murder of a 15-year-old boy outside a Bronx bodega on June 20, allegedly by members of the Dominican street gang the Trinitarios, has propelled the otherwise unknown group to a national stage.
Last week, eight members of the gang allegedly murdered Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman Feliz in a case of mistaken identity which has shocked the country.
The eight alleged murderers are in custody and have all been arraigned with the help of Spanish translators.
While their gang may not be as well known as the infamous MS-13 or the Bloods or the Crips, its presence is rising in New York City and bringing with it a wave of violence.
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Members of the Trinitarios gang pose for a photograph as part of a History channel documentary. The gang was started in Rikers Island in the 80s but has spread to the streets of New York and New Jersey
The gang began in the 1980s on Rikers Island where a collection of Dominican inmates banded together to protect each other on the inside.
According to The New York Post, one of the co-founders is Leonides 'Junito' Sierra who remains behind bars to this day. He has been charged in the past with operating the gang from his prison cell.
Its specialties are machete murders, drug dealing and prostitution, according to police sources.
Members distinguish themselves with green bandannas.
Their name loosely translates to trinity which refers to their three core beliefs - God, brotherhood and freedom.
One of the Trinitarios' logos. The gang's loosely translates to the trinity and represents its three core principles - God, brotherhood and freedom
One unnamed NYPD official told The Post how the gang's members lure vulnerable women into city apartments where they then trap them as sex slaves and force them to work.
'They get these girls to come in and move them from apartment to apartment, letting guys come in and rape them. The girls can’t get away,' they said.
Another trademark is the machete which gang members prefer to use over guns because it allows for a more 'personal' attack.
'A shooting is easy to do. [The Trinitarios’ preferred way] is more close and personal.
'They like to send messages.'
While their rivals DDP (Dominicans Don't Play) have long been on detectives' radars, the Trinitarios have flown relatively undetected until now.
'They are definitely getting big. The NYPD ought to start paying a lot more attention to them,' the source added.
The Trinitarios are said to recruit members in high school, while they are young.
The eight men arrested for Lesandro's murder are all aged between 18 and 24. Some are from New Jersey and some are from the Bronx.
The gang prefers machetes to guns and attack victims by slicing them in a more 'personal' way than shooting them
The gang has been blamed for other murders in the last year and residents of the Bronx are well aware of the threat they carry.
'Decency and humanity isn’t in their DNA, only killing. They're just as bad as terrorists,' said Camila Garcia, 27, a mother-of-two who lives in the area.
'We live here. We deal with this. We hear the "bang bang bang" at night. When you hear noise, you got to make sure all your kids is in the house...
'Who wants to live like that?' added the mother of a woman who was killed as the DDP shot at Trinitarios in a playground in 2016.
Another mother who lives in the area said the men who killed Junior were 'kids' that they saw 'every day'.
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A gaggle of young men, allegedly members of the gang, are seeing surrounding a 14-year-old boy during a vicious attack on Bronx River Parkway on June 18
Clinging to life: This 14-year-old, pictured in his hospital bed, lost a kidney after being repeatedly stabbed and beaten by the gang. His mother declined to name the teen for his protection
'The kids that killed [Guzman-Feliz] are kids that we see every day. They don’t look like killers. They look like normal teenage boys.
'You never know who could be a killer,' she said.
Teenagers at Junior's wake said they learned to tolerate the violence to save their own skin.
'It’s about survival. When these lights go out, who’s here? Not you. Not the cops.
'You mind your business, you shut your mouth, you’ll be all right,' one 16-year-old said.
The gang is also believed to be responsible for a knife attack on a teenage boy on June 18.
They were filmed chasing him onto the Bronx River Parkway to attack him. The boy, whose mother did not want him to be named, remains in hospital.
