Brutal Bronx Stabbing Leads To Murder Charge For 9th Suspect

THE BRONX, NY — A ninth suspect in the brutal gang-related murder of Bronx teenager Lesandro Guzman-Feliz was arrested Tuesday afternoon, police said. Diego Suero of the Bronx faces charges of murder, manslaughter, gang assault, conspiracy and criminal possession of a weapon, an NYPD spokeswoman said.

Suero, 29, is thought to be a member of the violent Trinitarios gang, which is tied to the 15-year-old's June 20 slaying outside a Bronx bodega, the spokeswoman said.

Authorities have arrested eight more people — including at least some other Trinitarios members — to face charges in the Bronx for a killing that led to an outpouring of tips to police.

Suero has been arrested three times before, an NYPD spokesman said. He is due to appear in court in August for a case stemming from his September arrest on several weapons charges, according to online court records.

Guzman-Feliz's murder is one of several incidents throughout the city in which Trinitarios members have been involved, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea told reporters Friday. Police have linked the killing to the brutal June 18 stabbing of a 14-year-old in broad daylight on the Bronx River Parkway.

Three of the men accused of killing Guzman-Feliz have been isolated in a Rikers Island jail meant to hold 50 people because of death threats against them, PIX11 reported Tuesday.

Guzman-Feliz was involved in the NYPD's Police Explorers program. The New York City Police Foundation announced a college scholarship fund in his honor last week.

The NYPD has said it is reviewing the response to the stabbing after a video reportedly showed two cops standing by while Guzman-Feliz bled out on a sidewalk.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the nature of the June 18 incident connected to Lesandro Guzman-Feliz's killing. It was a stabbing, not a murder.

(Lead image: Lesandro Guzman-Feliz. Photo courtesy of GoFundMe, a Patch promotional partner)