In the early morning hours of February 22, 2025, a dispute over a piece of jewelry in a Bronx apartment would set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately claim the life of a young man. Jeifry Alcantara Veras, a 22-year-old Latino male, was inside a residence at 560 Balcom Avenue in the Throggs Neck neighborhood when an argument erupted with two individuals, 21-year-old Carlos Estrella Tejeda and 27-year-old Diana Richez.
The subject of the heated exchange was a necklace.
According to prosecutors, the confrontation escalated dramatically when Richez allegedly demanded the chain from Alcantara Veras, reportedly stating, 'We are going to kill each other here!'. A witness informed police that the argument continued until Richez instructed Estrella Tejeda to give her a gun. Instead, Estrella Tejeda is said to have pulled out the weapon himself and shot Jeifry Alcantara Veras once in the abdomen. In the immediate aftermath, Alcantara Veras was transported by private means to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was initially listed in stable condition.
While Alcantara Veras fought for his life in the hospital, the New York Police Department investigated the shooting. On February 27, 2025, five days after the incident, authorities arrested both Carlos Estrella Tejeda and Diana Richez. They were initially charged with a host of serious felonies, including attempted murder, attempted robbery, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. Both suspects were arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court and subsequently released after posting bail.
Despite the initial prognosis of stability, Jeifry Alcantara Veras's condition took a turn for the worse. He was intubated and placed in a coma, and one of his kidneys was lost. After a two-week struggle, he succumbed to his injuries on March 7, 2025. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner officially deemed his death a homicide. Following his passing, officials stated that the charges against Estrella Tejeda and Richez would be upgraded to homicide, though their custody status following this development was not immediately clear. The investigation into the death of Jeifry Alcantara Veras remains ongoing.
