NEW YORK -- Winston Ortiz was shy teenager who family members said had become depressed in recent days over a breakup with his first girlfriend. So, he was excited when he heard from her on Wednesday afternoon, they said, and he left his family's Bronx apartment in high spirits.He never returned.About
NEW YORK — Winston Ortiz was shy teenager who family members said had become depressed in recent days over a breakup with his first girlfriend. So, he was excited when he heard from her on Wednesday afternoon, they said, and he left his family’s Bronx apartment in high spirits.About 3 p.m., Ortiz was stabbed in the chest, doused with a flammable liquid and then set on fire while he was still alive in the hallway of a nearby apartment building, police said.
The gruesome killing comes as New York City wrestles with a spike in violent crime. So far this year, shootings are up nearly 75% over the same period last year, and homicides have risen by about 30%. According to a criminal complaint, Ortiz’s statements to the police before he died led investigators to Betances.
Story continues“The police told us that he was praying even as he felt that excruciating pain,” Tamarez said. “He was praying, he was saying, ‘God forgive him for what he’s doing to me.’” A former teacher said he loved art and science, and described him as having “so much potential.” He had graduated from Metropolitan Lighthouse Charter School in the High Bridge neighborhood of the Bronx and had planned to attend college.
“The only thing he was worried about was his girlfriend,” she said. “He said, ‘I miss her.’ You know, the puppy love. I told him, ‘You are young. You are going to find 2,000 more girls, trust me.’”
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