SOUTH BRONX — The mother of the woman killed by a stray bullet in the South Bronx demanded justice at the sentencing of the teen convicted of shooting her daughter and said she was doubtful that he would ever change his ways.
"Now that he is in jail, he promises to change and behave well just to give him few years in jail," she wrote in her victim impact statement, which was read aloud at the sentencing by Assistant District Attorney Orville Reynolds. "But, when he leaves, he will most likely continue his criminal life like he has in the past."
Orlando Oquendo, 18, had fired a round from his gun in November while chasing a man down Courtlandt Avenue who officials believe was a rival gang member.
However, the bullet instead fatally struck innocent bystander Maribel Cavero-Reyes, 45, in the chest.
Reyes described her firstborn daughter as "a lovely and hardworking woman without vices or any sort of evilness" who loved her family and only left the house to go to work or do chores.
Her family has been struggling to deal with her death, and Reyes and her 13-year-old granddaughter have both gone to therapy in the wake of her passing, she wrote.
"You cannot imagine the great pain this delinquent has caused us, with the murder of my daughter," Reyes wrote in her statement. "My family is suffering from this injustice."
Oquendo had been arrested multiple times before the fatal shooting on charges ranging from gun possession to fare beating, and Reyes described him as "always being a danger to society" in her statement.
Oquendo spoke briefly at his sentencing, saying that he was "sorry for any pain that I caused."
His lawyer Steven Mechanic argued at length that Oquendo was not a lost cause but rather someone who deserved a chance to be rehabilitated and become a productive member of society.
"I don't believe it's hopeless," Mechanic said. "I really believe he is not only rehabilitatable but salvageable."
Oquendo was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision for first degree manslaughter.
Reyes maintained that it was extremely necessary to punish Oquendo for what he did and that her daughter should still be alive.
"On behalf of my family and the memory of my daughter Maribel, I ask for justice," she wrote. "She did not deserve to be taken away young and with dreams to fulfill."
