(USNewsBreak.com) – In January 2022, 16-year-old Diamond Alvarez was shot 22 times; she died as a result of her injuries. Police arrested her boyfriend, then 17-year-old Frank DeLeon, Jr., and charged him with murder. Chaos ensued after the suspect accepted a plea deal offered by the judge overseeing the case during a recent court hearing.
DeLeon was out on a $250,000 bond awaiting trial when he failed to show up to court on October 16. Naturally, the judge issued a warrant for his arrest. He eventually surrendered and appeared in court the next day, where he pleaded guilty to killing Alvarez in a field near her home where the two met to discuss whether he cheated on her.
Alvarez’ family attended the court date. Her mother, Anna Machado, gave a victim impact statement from the stand. She detailed how her daughter died in her arms and called DeLeon a “monster.” The judge eventually sentenced the accused to 45 years in prison.
It should’ve ended there, but her family had other ideas in mind. Machado approached the defense table where DeLeon was sitting, but a bailiff blocked her attempt to access the man. Then, the victim’s uncle lunged at him while Machado began attacking DeLeon’s mom.
According to news reports, officers were forced to tase the uncle to get him under control. Courtroom security did eventually manage to restore order.
Speaking to the press after the chaos settled down, Machado said she was extremely angry and acted out of hate because she “just want[s] to move forward.” However, the grieving mother also acknowledged that “it was wrong” to act that way in court. She apologized to both the judge and those she attacked.
DeLeon will eventually be eligible for parole, but he has to serve a minimum of half of his sentence in order for that to happen. As part of his plea deal, he waived the right to appeal.
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