A year ago, Bronx teen Lesandro Feliz-Guzman was brutally killed in a case of mistaken identity. Since the 15-year-old’s passing, an investigation has led to the charging of 13 men involved in the attack. Now, his mother is speaking up on ensuring that people like those suspects remain in prison.
“That’s the kind of people we have on the street,” Leandra Feliz said to PIX11 “That’s why we have to keep these killers in prison for life, because we’re going to stop a little bit of crime with those kind of people.” The case placed a spotlight on the Dominican Trinitarios gang, with alleged members that are being held responsible for Guzman-Feliz’s death.
On the subject of protecting others from wayward activities, Feliz shared a statement that’ll hopefully remain with those who are reading this as the summer approaches. “My message is, ‘stay out of the street. Follow your fathers,'” she said. “Because the teenagers, they do what they want to do and they don’t know what they’re doing. Just follow the father and stay out of the street.”
On June 20, 2018, Feliz-Guzman was fatally stabbed by a group of men in the Bronx’s Belmont neighborhood (East 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue). The suspects believed the teen was a rival gang affiliate. PIX11 notes five of the attackers face guilty charges of first-degree murder, second-degree gang assault, second-degree conspiracy, and second-degree murder. CNN reports eight more suspects will be tried in the near future.
In memory of the teen, Power actress LaLa Anthony, who assisted the family in finances after Feliz-Guzman’s murder, honored him on her Instagram page: “You have forever changed so many people’s lives, including mine.”
