A 12th and final suspect was arrested Monday in the death of 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, according to the NYPD and Connecticut State Police.
Luis A. Cabrera Santos, 25, was pulled over at about 2:30 a.m. as he was driving east on I-84 near Danbury after his vehicle was picked up in connection to the homicide by a state trooper’s license plate reader, per state police.
Cabrera Santos was stopped and detained until NYPD detectives arrived to interview him.
NYPD Chief of Manhattan Detectives William Aubry, speaking at an unrelated news conference on Tuesday, credited Cabrera Santos’ arrest to an outpouring of tips from the public regarding Guzman-Feliz’s death.
“If you look at this incident and look at how the public has helped us, how the neighborhood policing program came together, working with the public – we had over 100 Crime Stopper tips coming in [and] a lot of resourceful information coming out of that,” Aubry said.
The NYPD is no longer searching for additional suspects in the case, according to Aubry.
Guzman-Feliz, known as “Junior,” was fatally stabbed in the neck on June 20 after being dragged from a bodega in the Belmont section of the Bronx in a case of mistaken identity. Guzman-Feliz, who was part of the NYPD’s Explorers program and dreamed of becoming a detective, was able to run to a nearby hospital, but collapsed and did not survive.
His death sparked citywide outrage and caught the attention of celebrities as well as top NYPD officials.
Cabrera Santos was charged with being a fugitive from justice by Connecticut state troopers, and was expected to be taken to New York early next week, per the Bronx district attorney’s office.
He is suspected of chasing Guzman-Feliz and was also seen in one of the vehicles associated with the killing, Aubry said.
Eleven other men had previously been charged in Guzman-Feliz’s death.
Most recently, Danilo Payamps Pacheco, 21, of the Bronx, was charged with murder, manslaughter, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon on Friday.
Diego Suero, 29, who police said is a suspected member of the Dominican gang Trinitarios, and Gabriel Ramirez Concepcion, 26, of the Bronx, were also arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the NYPD. Suero was also charged with conspiracy.
Eight other men — Kevin Alvarez, 19, of the Bronx; Elvin Garcia, 23, of Manhattan; Joniki Martinez, 24, of Freeport, Long Island; Jose Muniz, 21, of Paterson, New Jersey; Antonio Hernandez-Santiago, 24, of the Bronx; Danel Fernandez, 21, of the Bronx; Manuel Rivera, 18, of the Bronx; and Jose Taverez, 21, of the Bronx — also have been arrested and charged with varying offenses.
With Lauren Cook and Anthony DeStefano
