BRONX, NY — In a harrowing case that has concluded with a life sentence, Bronx man Adones Betances, 26, has been convicted of first-degree murder for the stabbing and subsequent burning of 18-year-old Winston Ortiz in 2020.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the sentencing, emphasizing the torturous nature of the crime, motivated by the victim’s relationship with the defendant’s sister. Betances was sentenced to life without parole by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Jeanette Rodriguez-Morick, following a three-week jury trial that ended with a conviction on February 9.
The tragic event unfolded on August 12, 2020, inside a hallway on the fifth floor of 1045 Woodycrest Avenue, where Betances attacked Ortiz following a dispute over the defendant’s sister. Ortiz was stabbed multiple times before being doused in lighter fluid and set on fire.
The attack, captured on body-worn camera footage from a responding police officer, recorded Ortiz’s final moments as he identified his assailant and prayed. District Attorney Clark reflected on the victim’s memory, describing Ortiz as a caring and family-oriented young man whose life was cut short in a shocking act of violence.