12 suspects in Bronx teen's murder appear in court

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - A dozen suspects in the murder of Bronx teen Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz appeared in court Wednesday.

The Bronx District Attorney's Office unsealed indictments against Kevin Alvarez, Jose Tavarez, Manuel Rivera, Danel Fernandez, Danilo Payamps Pacheco, Diego Suero, Gabriel Ramirez Concepcion, Elvin Garcia, Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Jose Muniz, Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, and Luis A. Cabrera Santos in Bronx County Criminal Court.

Alvarez, Tavarez, Rivera, Fernandez, Payamps Pachecho, Suero and Concepcion are charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and other related charges.

Garcia, Martinez Estrella, Muniz, and Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago are charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and other related charges.

Two by two, the suspects faced a judge and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

After the court proceedings, Guzman-Feliz's mother, told reporters that her son wasn't involved with gangs.

"They killed my son—they killed a baby," Leandra Feliz said. "They didn't kill a gang member… they killed a good boy."

The NYPD said the suspects are members of the Trinitarios gang. Bronx DA Darcel Clark said that warring factions within the gang apparently led the suspects to wrongly target Guzman-Feliz, who had no ties to any gang activity and was in the NYPD's Explorers program.