By Ricardo Lezama 
Trinitarios gang member, Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, one of the murderers of Junior Gonzalez, has had his first degree murder conviction vacated. On October 2019, Martinez Estrella was sentenced to life without parole for the killing.
The gang member is believed to be the one who delivered the final machete blow to Gonzalez. Junior was likely killed due to a case of mistaken identity. Initially, there were rumors that the murder was over the filming of a 15 year old girl in a comprimising situation. Initially, the individual was thought to be Junior, but the culprit was likely someone else in the neighborhood who also belonged to a local gang.
While this does not mean that Martinez Estrella will walk free, but does imply that his conviction will likely be made into a second degree murder charge. The murder conviction carries a very heavy sentencing ranging above 20 years. A procedural distinction between conventional murder and torture, however, is what has caused the NY Appelate Division to permit the move away from 1st degree down to 2nd degree.
If you would like to learn more about the Junior Gonzalez case, please see more about the case in our original post.