Orlando Sanchez | Homicide Watch Trenton

Mixed verdict in trial for attempted murder of Orlando “Coco” Sanchez who was later murdered

Isaac Avilucea — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:56:16 -0500

Family members of a now-deceased Trenton man left the courtroom disgusted and with one lingering question after a jury returned a mixed-bag verdict late Thursday in the attempted murder trial of reputed Latin Kings gang member Juan Colon.

Barbara Cruz, aunt of 28-year-old Orlando “Coco” Sanchez, wanted to know why, if Colon had nothing to do with her nephew’s death, did he fly to Florida days after Sanchez was gunned down on a city street in September 2012. Colon was on trial for Sanchez’s attempted murder, which prosecutors say happened two weeks before Sanchez was gunned down on a city street.

Colon was considered a person of interest, but was never charged for the murder, which remains unsolved.

The only explanation from Colon, 46, who didn’t testify, came from his attorney, who said his client visited family members.

It was an unsatisfactory one for the family, who endured another blow when a jury acquitted Colon of the Aug. 25, 2012 attempted murder of Sanchez, but convicted him on one of two counts of aggravated assault and a litany of weapons offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 27 with Judge Pedro Jimenez.

Colon, whose myriad convictions for robbery, assault and robbery make him a persistent offender, still faces up to 30 years in state prison on the aggravated and weapons offenses charges. His attorney still considered the verdict a win with his client facing up to 50 years if he was convicted of attempted murder.

“We’re gratified with the verdict,” said Keith Massey, Colon’s attorney.

“It’s hard to put yourself in the jury’s shoes,” said James Scott, the assistant prosecutor who tried the case. “Mr. Colon is still facing a very serious sentence. As a result, justice is served.”

The jury was handed the case late Wednesday and deliberated for a full day before arriving at a verdict late Thursday.

Colon sat stoically next to his attorney when the jury forewoman pronounced him not guilty of the attempted slaying, but guilty of shooting at Sanchez during a senseless Aug. 25, 2012 dispute at Sanchez’s Elm Street home. Colon became enraged because his sleeping girlfriend refused to come downstairs.

The shooting was not reported to police and came out during the investigation into Sanchez’s murder. Prosecutors said Colon fled New Jersey after he was named a person of interest in the murder, but Colon maintained he was in Florida visiting his ex-wife and child.

He was arrested there and detectives testified that Colon admitted to shooting at Sanchez, but not hitting him, during an untaped portion of an interrogation.

Colon’s remarks were noted in police reports but never captured by any recording device because detectives switched off a tape recorder once Colon invoked his Miranda rights.

During trial, the state painted Colon as an irrational man with gang ties who could fly off the cuff for the smallest of slights, real or perceived. The shooting of Sanchez was but one example of Colon’s volatile personality.

The Trentonian learned Colon’s attempted murder trial, scheduled to start in fall 2013, was delayed by more than a year because he allegedly threatened to kill his former attorney during a meeting in a conference room of the county courthouse.

Prosecutors decided not to file charges against Colon, citing the complexity of the case. Colon denied making the threat, meaning the attorney, whose name is being withheld because no charges were filed, would have been put in the awkward position of testifying about privileged attorney-client conversation.

Jury still deliberating in Orlando Sanchez attempted murder case

Isaac Avilucea — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 18:15:05 -0500

A reputed member of the Latin Kings street gang elected not to testify in his attempted murder trial, but prosecutors are hoping an untaped confession he made to detectives inside a Florida interrogation room is enough to convince a jury, which began deliberations Wednesday, to reach a guilty verdict.

Juan Colon, 46, was arrested in 2012 by U.S Marshals in Florida where he fled after he learned he was a person of interest in the murder of 28-year-old Orlando Sanchez.

Colon is not on trial for Sanchez’s murder, which remains unsolved, but rather an attempt he allegedly made on Sanchez’s life Aug. 25, 2012 during a senseless dispute at Sanchez’s Elm Street home.

That’s when, witnesses testified, Colon fired a single shot at Sanchez while he fled up the stairs. Colon became enraged because his sleeping girlfriend refused to come downstairs.

Sanchez was gunned down in September 2012, two weeks after the August shooting, and Colon was named a person of interest. No one has been arrested, and an investigation is still active and ongoing, officials said.

During the course of the investigation into Sanchez’s murder, Assistant Prosecutor James Scott said, authorities learned about the shooting, which Colon’s attorney said was not reported to police.

Authorities eventually tracked Colon to Florida, arrested him and attempted to interview him.

Two detectives testified Colon refused to speak with investigators after he was read his Miranda rights, so they switched off a tape recorder. As soon as they did, Colon went on a diatribe and admitted firing a single shot at Sanchez from a medium-caliber handgun. Investigators recovered a single round lodged in a second-story rafter of the residence, but the gun was not recovered, Scott said.

“I almost shot the braid off of his head,” Colon allegedly told investigators. Colon’s attorney, Keith Massey, said the remark was not captured on film or by any recording device and that his client vigorously denies all charges.

A 12-member jury, pondering charges of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault and weapons offenses, heard from five witnesses and listed to attorneys’ summations before they began deliberations around 2 p.m., returning about 90 minutes later with a question for Judge Pedro Jimenez.

They wanted to know whether they must reach a unanimous decision on the attempted murder charges before they could decide the alleged aggravated assault of Sanchez. Jimenez instructed jurors they must agree one way or another on the attempted murder charge before weighing Colon’s guilt or innocence on aggravated assault counts.

Colon’s mother sat outside a courtroom anxiously awaiting a verdict, but it didn’t come. The jury is set to resume deliberations Thursday.

Sitting next to his attorney wearing a dark-colored suit and glasses perched on his eyes, Colon appeared subdued, which conflicted with the portrait the state painted of him as an irrational man with gang ties who could fly off the cuff for the smallest of slights, real or perceived.

That, Scott said, is what happened the night of the shooting, when Colon allegedly directed his anger at Sanchez.

Colon’s girlfriend was with a female friend at Sanchez’s home. They spent the night assembling a bed and fell asleep. Colon’s girlfriend’s phone was on silent and she didn’t notice repeated missed calls from Colon.

Colon showed up at Sanchez’s house and demanded the woman come downstairs, lashing out and kicking the door down when she didn’t appear fast enough, prosecutors said.

Colon has myriad convictions for assault, robbery and drug offenses, prosecutors said. Scott said he was released from state prison in April 2012 after serving time for robbery, roughly six month before the shooting.

Man indicted for shooting at homicide victim

Brian Dzenis — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:28:33 -0400

Trenton - Juan Colon, 44, was indicted on criminal attempted murder charges last Wednesday for shooting at Orlando Sanchez two weeks before he was murdered.

On Aug. 25, 2012, Colon allegedly went to Sanchez' Elm Street home, where his girlfriend was sleeping at the time. Sanchez, 28, answered the door and Colon reportedly told him to wake his girlfriend up. When the woman would not wake up, Colon became angry and kicked in the door and began shooting at Sanchez as he fled upstairs. Sanchez was not hit in the shooting.

A few weeks later on Sept. 9, Sanchez was gunned down in an alley off of Chestnut Street. According to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, the case remains open and no one has been charged in connection with his death. Colon, who was arrested on Sept. 17 in Florida on warrants for shooting at Sanchez, is considered a person of interest in the case.

Anyone with information regarding Sanchez' homicide can call the Trenton Police confidential tipline at (609) 989-3663 or the Crimestoppers tipline at (609) 278-8477.

Those wishing to text a tip regarding Sanchez' homicide can send a message labeled TCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.

Homicide victim: Orlando Sanchez

Joe D'Aquila — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 01:19:16 -0400

Orlando Sanchez, a 28-year-old food worker at The College of New Jersey, was gunned down near the corner of Smith and Beatty streets in the city's South Ward on the afternoon of Sept. 8.

http://www.trentonian.com/article/20120909/NEWS01/120909444/man-shot-dead-in-trenton-s-south-ward