BRONX, NYC – A 29-year-old man has been arrested Sunday and charged with murder in the caught-on-camera machete attack that killed a 15-year-old boy outside a bodega in the Bronx, police said. Ronald Urena, of the Bronx, was charged with murder, manslaughter, gang assault, conspiracy and criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD said. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday. The June 20 killing of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz captivated the nation for its caught-on-camera brutality. Video shows the teen being dragged outside the bodega and attacked by a gang of five men who stabbed him with knives and hacked him with a machete as he struggled to defend himself. The boy was slashed in the neck and died after running to a hospital three blocks away.
Guzman-Feliz had been part of the NYPD’s Explorers program, a group for youths interested in a law enforcement career. The New York City Police Foundation announced it planned to set up a scholarship in his name. Twelve other people have been indicted in Guzman-Feliz’s death. All are alleged gang members. Authorities say they do not believe Guzman-Feliz was affiliated with any gang.
by Johnathan Dienst
Chief Investigative Reporte
