Man convicted of fatally stabbing, setting teen on fire in the Bronx to be sentenced

THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) – A man found guilty in February in the brutal killing of an 18-year-old man is set to be sentenced Thursday.

Adones Betances was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Winston Ortiz. Ortiz, who was Betances’ sister’s former boyfriend, was stabbed and then set on fire in the stairwell of an apartment building in 2020, prosecutors said.

Ortiz was stabbed three times in his torso before he was doused with an accelerant, according to authorities. Neighbors smelled fire and heard Ortiz scream, police said.

The teenager called out Betances’ name at least five times in his last moments of life, bodycam footage from a police officer responding to the scene showed.

Intense emotions after video of stabbed, burned teen is shown in murder trial

Officials believed the attack was related to Ortiz’s relationship with Betances’ sister. Ortiz had broken up with his girlfriend just days prior to the attack, his family told PIX11 News.

Ortiz wanted to be an engineer, according to his mother, Joan Tamarez.

Betances faces life in prison.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.

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