A Bronx man has been sentenced to spend 23 years to life behind bars for his role in a fatal armed robbery back in 2021. According to the Bronx District Attorney's Office, 24-year-old Kadeem Edwards acted as the getaway driver during the failed robbery that resulted in one man’s death and another’s serious injury. Bronx Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Rosenblueth delivered the sentence on Wednesday, with Edwards facing concurrent sentences for charges including second-degree murder and first-degree robbery.
The incident, which turned deadly, involved Edwards and his uncaught accomplices targeting patrons for their jewelry. On the afternoon of November 13, 2021, Jonathan Pena and Sergio Ortiz were approached outside the Maribella Paradise Restaurant in Highbridge. The confrontation, which began over a chain later revealed to be fake gold, quickly escalated to gunfire. Although Pena succumbed to his injuries, Ortiz survived and recounted the harrowing ordeal, playing a critical role in Edwards' conviction. "This defendant participated in a calculated armed robbery," said District Attorney Clark in a press release.
The case was prosecuted by the Homicide Bureau's Homicide Assistant Nicholas DiCostanzo and Assistant District Attorney Michael Luterzo, under leadership teams spearheaded by James Brennan and Theresa Gottlieb at the Trial Division. The attack's investigation enlisted diverse expertise from forensic examination to intelligence analysis.
On December 18, 2024, Edwards was convicted by a jury and has since begun serving his sentence. District Attorney Clark used the sentencing to commend the thorough efforts of those who secured the trial’s outcome, including NYPD detectives from the Bronx Homicide Squad, the Auto Crime Unit, and former officers of the 44th Precinct.
