An incident occurred on a sidewalk in Corona last month when a dispute over a bumped book bag escalated into a fatal stabbing. The Queens District Attorney, Melinda Katz, confirmed that Nelson Torres has been indicted by a grand jury on charges that include murder in the first degree. This indictment followed the death of 22-year-old Anderson David Archila Martinez. On April 14, an innocuous bump into Torres' book bag by Archila Martinez's bicycle set off a chain of events that led to the young man's death. In a statement obtained by Queens District Attorney's Office, Katz stated, "The defendant violently ended the life of a young man who did nothing more than bump into him."
The encounter, which took place around 12:16 a.m., began when Archila Martinez inadvertently jostled Torres' book bag while maneuvering his bicycle on the sidewalk. The Queens District Attorney's Office reports that Torres allegedly pursued the bicyclist after the initial contact, eventually knocking Archila Martinez off the bike and fleeing with it. Having called 911 to report the stolen bike, the victim later confronted Torres in an attempt to retrieve his property. It was during this confrontation that Torres allegedly fatally stabbed Archila Martinez.
Following the altercation, Torres, 33, of 37th Avenue in Corona, was apprehended and is now facing multiple charges. These charges include two counts of murder in the second degree, two counts of robbery in the first degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. Upon being arraigned, Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael B. Aloise ordered Torres to return to court on September 3 and remanded him into custody. According to the district attorney's announcement, a conviction of the top charge holds a consequence of life imprisonment for Torres.
Justice for Archila Martinez is being pursued by Assistant District Attorney Gabriel J. Reale and a team from the Homicide Bureau as they work on the case against Torres. The prosecution also involves Assistant District Attorneys Veronika Podoprigora, Antonio Vittiglio, and Alexa Ornelas. The team operates under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney John Kosinski, Bureau Chief Karen Ross, Deputy Chief, and Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.
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