Gang member testifies in ‘Junior’ trial: ‘My attitude changed when I saw his face’

Week four of the trial against the men accused of killing Lesandro Guzman-Feliz came to a close Friday with the questioning of a member of the Trinitarios gang.

News 12 Staff

May 31, 2019, 9:16 PM

Updated 2,002 days ago

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Week four of the trial against the men accused of killing Lesandro Guzman-Feliz came to a close Friday with the questioning of a member of the Trinitarios gang.
Prosecutors questioned Michael “Sosa” Reyes, who says he is a member of the Bad Boys set of the Trinitarios. On the stand, Reyes described what happened when gang members came across the 15-year-old victim at a Belmont bodega, mistaking him for a member of a rival gang.
Reyes says that he told people inside the bodega that Guzman-Feliz had done something to his grandmother in hopes that employees inside would let the gang have the teen.
Reyes, who goes by the street name Sosa, was seen leaving the bodega before Junior was dragged out by other alleged gang members. He told the jury through a translator: "When I saw his face, my attitude changed."
He also told the jury that he fled to the Dominican Republic the day after Junior's slaying and returned a day later to turn himself in.
Prosecutor Morgan Dolan revealed that Reyes pleaded guilty to manslaughter, agreeing to truthfully testify against the gang for the chance all charges would be dropped. If he doesn't adhere to the terms, he could get 25 years in prison.
Reyes also testified that after the stabbing Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella rode in his getaway car, saying, “He's not gonna eat for a good long time because I hit him in the neck."
Estrella has been accused of the death blow to Junior's jugular.
On Monday, the defense has their shot to cross-examine Reyes. Prosecutor Dolan hopes to rest her case by the end of next week.
Of the 14 suspects, five are currently on trial for first-degree murder charges. The other nine are facing second-degree murder charges.