Third Teen Arrested in Murder of Bronx Gay Man
Two minors among those facing murder, gang assault charges in Christmas Eve beatdown
BY MATT TRACY
A third suspect has been busted and
hit with murder and gang assault
charges for his alleged role in the
deadly Christmas Eve beating of a
60-year-old gay man in the Bronx .
The NYPD announced the arrest of a
14-year-old boy on the morning of January
10 and charged him with second-degree
murder along with two gang assault charges,
marking the latest development in a case in
which three teenagers have been accused of
killing Juan Fresnada as he and his partner,
Byron Caceres, were leaving a McDonald’s on
Third Avenue near East 164th Street.
The teen, whose identity is being withheld
because he is a minor, is the second minor to
be charged in the case after a 15-year-old was
busted on January 6. Eighteen-year-old Abu
Conteh was the first person to face charges in
the case, though he has maintained his innocence
and claimed to the Daily News that
he did not play a role in the attack.
The attackers first targeted Fresnada and
his partner in a robbery attempt, but they
pounced on Fresnada when he wouldn’t give
in, kicking and punching him before hitting
him with a steel garbage can. He was transported
to Lincoln Hospital, where he died
three days later, on December 27.
All three suspects have been charged with
➤ BRONX DEBATE, from p.8
Act. He also mentioned that he co-sponsored
the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act
(GENDA), which last year added gender identity
and expression as a protected class in the state’s
human rights and hate crimes laws. If elected
to Congress, he said, he would fight for a “Bill of
Rights for the LGBTQ community” on the federal
level.
Some candidates, however, struggled to demonstrate
the connection between LGBTQ issues
and larger issues facing constituents. Rodriguez,
who welcomed the endorsements of anti-LGBTQ
Bronx Councilmembers Fernando Cabrera and
Diaz, Sr., when he ran for public advocate last
year, voiced his desire for stronger penalties
against those who commit hate crimes against
queer people but otherwise spoke in broad
strokes about improving the district. And David
Philip Franks, Jr., a former NYPD sergeant,
positioned his candidacy as a sort of alternative
to the emerging left-leaning trends in the Democratic
Party by conveying his strong belief in the
benefits of capitalism.
CRIME
Three people have been arrested for allegedly killing Juan Fresnada, 60, who died after suffering a brutal attack on Christmas Eve.
murder and gang assault charges, but the
two minors are likely to be treated differently
because state law considers teens who are
13, 14, and 15 years of age to be juvenile offenders
when they are accused of serious or
violent felonies. Those cases are reserved for
the youth part of the Supreme Court, where
defendants are subject to less severe penalties.
The NYPD did not return emails seeking
clarification about whether more suspects
are still at large. Police originally said that
NYPD
there were five attackers. Authorities have
not produced any evidence pointing to a hate
crime in the case or that the attackers knew
Fresnada and his partner were a couple.
The attack drew attention from local leaders
who rallied at the scene of the beating on
January 7 to raise awareness about violence
in the neighborhood. Bronx State Assemblymembers
Vanessa Gibson and Michael
Blake, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams,
and Bronx State Senator Luis Sepúlveda
were among those on hand.
Bronx Assemblymember Michael Blake said that, if elected, he would push for a federal LGBTQ Bill of Rights.
Those in attendance at the forum included a
diverse crowd of locals, community advocates,
and celebrities like Dominique Jackson, a Black
transgender actress who portrays Elektra Abundance
in the award-winning show “Pose” and
MATT TRACY
serves on the board of Destination Tomorrow.
Jackson was disappointed with what she heard
from the candidates on stage.
➤ BRONX DEBATE, continued on 22
GayCityNews.com | January 16 - January 29, 2020 9
/GayCityNews.com
