In the early morning hours of February 23, 2024, William Alvarez, a 45-year-old Hispanic male from the Bronx, was riding a southbound D train when his life was cut short in a sudden act of violence. As the train departed the Fordham Road subway station around 5 a.m., a verbal dispute erupted between Alvarez and another passenger who had just sat down next to him.
The argument quickly escalated into a physical altercation.
The initial aggressor was joined by two companions, a man and a woman, and together the trio assaulted Alvarez. As the train approached the 182-183rd Street station, Alvarez sustained a fatal wound to his torso. The wound was initially described as being consistent with either a gunshot or a puncture from a sharp object. The three assailants fled the train at the station, leaving Alvarez behind. Emergency medical services were called to the scene, and they transported Alvarez to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
The New York City Police Department immediately launched an investigation, utilizing extensive surveillance footage from cameras within the subway car and on the station platform. The clarity of the video evidence proved instrumental in the swift identification of the suspects. Within days, on February 26, 2024, members of the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force apprehended three individuals in connection with the murder.
The suspects were identified as Justin Herde, 24, Betty Cotto, 38, and Alfredo Trinidad, 42. All three were taken into custody at an apartment in the Bronx. Following their arrest, Herde, Cotto, and Trinidad were all charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Investigators believe the fatal encounter stemmed from a struggle over a firearm during the physical altercation, which resulted in the weapon discharging and striking Alvarez.
