Brooklyn, NY – A Bronx resident has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of one bouncer and injuring another outside a club in Gowanus. The announcement was made by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, following the defendant’s guilty plea to manslaughter in October.
The defendant, identified as 22-year-old Jose Velasco from the Morrisania area of the Bronx, received his sentence under Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. Alongside the prison term, Velasco faces five years of post-release supervision for the crime that took place on February 26, 2022, at approximately 10:35 p.m.
According to the case details, Velasco was removed from a party at 168 7th Street in Gowanus for aggressive behavior. He then engaged in a confrontation with three bouncers, leading to an altercation in which Velasco stabbed a 21-year-old bouncer in the back and 25-year-old Marvin Pretto in the chest, who later died at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Joseph Mancino.