In the early evening of April 3, 2023, a burst of violence shattered the calm in a Baltimore neighborhood, leaving 21-year-old Edgar Ernesto Bonilla, a Hispanic male, fatally wounded. At approximately 7:30 p.m., officers from the Baltimore Police Department were called to the 400 block of Imla Street for a report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Bonilla on a porch, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso.
Medics quickly transported him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation into Bonilla's death led detectives to the 6300 block of Eastern Avenue, near a 7-Eleven, which they determined to be the actual scene of the crime. Surveillance footage from the area proved to be a critical piece of evidence. The video showed a man, later identified as 20-year-old Kerin Aviles-Alvarez, inside the 7-Eleven shortly before the shooting. Additional footage captured Aviles-Alvarez and three other individuals following Bonilla as he left the convenience store. The video then showed Aviles-Alvarez raising his hand before running down an alley. A search of a trashcan in that same alley led to the discovery of a 9mm handgun.
A warrant was issued for Aviles-Alvarez's arrest, and on July 11, 2023, members of the Warrant Apprehension Task Force located and apprehended him at a residence on Hornel Street. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and various handgun violations. In June 2024, a Baltimore City jury convicted Kerin Aviles-Alvarez on all counts related to the murder of Edgar Bonilla. In November 2024, he was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional five years. During the sentencing, it was revealed that Aviles-Alvarez's own mother had identified him from a tattoo on his hand visible in the surveillance footage. In a statement read in court, Bonilla's mother expressed the profound pain of losing her son, while Aviles-Alvarez offered a brief apology.
