A rival gang dispute is to blame for the slaying of 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, the Bronx District Attorney says.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark says members of the Trinitarios gang plotted to attack rival members of the Sunset Clan when they fatally stabbed and slashed the teen in a case of mistaken identity.
The announcement came Wednesday, the same day as 12 alleged Trinitarios members pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the stabbing death of Guzman-Feliz.
According to indictments against the suspects, members of the gang planned to commit violent acts against the rival Sunset Clan.
Clark says the gang members gathered at the home of their alleged leader, Diego Suero, before they drove to the Sunset Clan's territory in the Bronx where they found Guzman-Feliz, an innocent bystander who they are accused of killing.
They chased him down, dragged him out of a bodega and slashed and stabbed him to death on the sidewalk, according to investigators.
Guzman-Feliz’s mother dispelled rumors that her son was seen in a sex video on social media which sparked the motive for the killing.
If convicted, all suspects face life in prison.
They are expected back in court in October.