Tuesday night the Highbridge community joined together to mourn the loss of 18-year-old Winston Ortiz, who was gruesomely stabbed and burned to death earlier this month.
Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson joined Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark and clergy members began a walk of memorial at the Woodycrest Church of God to the nearby site of Ortiz’s murder at 1045 Woodycrest Ave.
“With heavy hearts, we gathered tonight as clergy, community, elected officials, law enforcement, residents and youth, for a March and Prayer Walk to remember the life of a young man, a child of God violently taken from his family last week in Highbridge,” Gibson posted following the vigil.
“Continue to lift up the family of Winston Ortiz. He deserved to live and grow up. Pray for both of these families who will never be the same again,” she added.
Ortiz, who lived on nearby Anderson Avenue was fatally set on fire and stabbed repeatedly inside the fifth floor of a Woodycrest Avenue apartment at about 3:10 p.m., according to the NYPD.
Earlier, authorities arrested 22-year-old Adones Betances of University Avenue on murder and manslaughter charges for the heinous killing of Ortiz.
Reports have shown that accused acted as result of Ortiz having a relationship with Betances’ 14-year-old sister.
