Two men linked to a violent gang have been found guilty of murdering a 15-year-old boy in a shocking and violent 2018 Bronx bodega machete attack that was captured on video.
The men -- leaders in the Trinitarios gang -- were found guilty Friday of second-degree murder for the brutal machete slaying of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz, according to the Bronx County District Attorney's Office.
Diego Suero and Frederick Then, both of Pennsylvania, were found guilty after a four-week trial. They each face 25 years to life in prison at a sentencing hearing scheduled for mid-September.
The guilty verdicts come almost three years after five others were convicted of murder in the teen's killing.
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The case grabbed the attention of New Yorkers and those across the nation, given that the brutal machete killing of the 15-year-old boy that took place inside a Bronx bodega in the summer of 2018 was captured on surveillance.
Video showed the boy being dragged outside the bodega and set upon by a gang of men who hacked at him as he struggled to defend himself. Ultimately, he was slashed in the neck and died after running to a hospital three blocks away.
Investigators say the group mistook Guzman-Feliz, who was not affiliated with any gang, for a member of the rival fraction of the Trinitarios gang. In total, more than a dozen suspects have been arrested in connection to the killing.
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Guzman-Feliz had been part of the NYPD's Explorers program, a group for youths interested in a law enforcement career.
Since the violent attack, the community’s outpouring of love and support has been seen in a mural. Guzman-Feliz’s memory has also been honored through the renaming of a street and a summer camp at a state park, as well as prompting the “Safe Haven Bodega” program in the city.
