QUEENS — A Jamaica man who fatally shot his rival in January 2013 to avenge an earlier bar fight was sentenced Tuesday to 22 years in prison, Queens prosecutors announced.
Reyes Manzueta, 54, shot and killed Jony Gonzalez, 27, inside El Nuevo Café Latino on Jamaica Avenue two weeks after a fistfight in the same bar, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in July, according to the Queens District Attorney's office.
"The defendant had argued with the victim weeks earlier, but instead of letting it go, he returned to the establishment seeking revenge," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
The original fight on Dec. 23, 2012 began when Manzueta hit a woman sitting next to Gonzalez in the back of the head, according to court documents.
The woman in turn threw a bottle at Manzueta, who then went after her.
Trying to protect the woman, Gonzalez intervened, sparking a fight between the two men.
After other bar patrons separated them, Manzueta left.
But he returned on Jan. 5, 2013, looking specifically for Gonzalez, according to prosecutors.
Once he spotted him, Manzueta approached Gonzalez, pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot the 27-year-old man multiple times. The victim, who was shot in the chest, back, abdomen, leg and arm, died at the scene.
Another man was also hit by gunfire, but survived his injuries, prosecutors said.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter sentenced Manzueta to 22 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision.
Manzueta's attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
