The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, along with the FBI and NYPD, announced charges against Lenyn Toribio and Welfy Espinal in connection with the April 13, 2025, murder of Jeremy Ortega in the Bronx.
Espinal was arrested in New Jersey, while Toribio remains at large. Both are charged with interstate stalking resulting in death and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking resulting in death. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said, “As alleged, Lenyn Toribio and Welfy Espinal intentionally surveilled and tracked Jeremy Ortega before he was fatally shot in front of his own home—over little more than a bag of diamond jewelry.”
According to the indictment, Toribio and Espinal, along with co-conspirators, engaged in a scheme from March 2025 to April 13, 2025, to surveil Ortega using a GPS tracking device with the intent to rob him. Toribio activated the device, and Espinal attached it to Ortega’s vehicle outside his Bronx residence. The defendants then tracked Ortega, including to a Manhattan nightclub where he wore diamond jewelry.
On April 12, 2025, they surveilled Ortega as he traveled to a restaurant before positioning themselves in his neighborhood. Moments after Ortega parked in front of his home, he was chased, shot repeatedly, and robbed of a bag containing diamond jewelry. The GPS tracker was recovered from his car hours later. To evade law enforcement, Toribio and Espinal allegedly used multiple vehicles and a stolen license plate.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said, “As alleged, the stalking and killing of an innocent victim by Lenyn Toribio and Welfy Espinal is horrifying.” NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch added, “These defendants orchestrated a scheme to place a GPS tracking device on their victim’s car and followed him for days, ultimately leading to his death.”
Toribio, 27, and Espinal, 25, face a maximum sentence of life in prison for interstate stalking resulting in death and five years for conspiracy to commit interstate stalking. The charges are accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.