The 30th Section of the Provincial Court of Madrid has sentenced Héctor Manuel Mejía, 33, known in the world of violent youth gangs as El Leyenda, and Stephano Umberto Reyes, 26, as co-perpetrators of a crime of home invasion with violence and intimidation, imposing on each of them two years in prison and a seven-month fine. Furthermore, the court understands that El Leyenda, a former gang leader, well-known to the Police for his membership in the Dominican Don’t Play (DDP) gang, committed a crime of illegal possession of weapons and is therefore also sentenced to an additional year in prison.
Read more Navarra mourns five foral police officers: “Your mark is indelible”
The judge has also sentenced Carlos Acevedo, 45, to another three years in prison as the perpetrator of an attempted homicide for the events that occurred on July 11, 2023, in a home in Ciempozuelos. The sentence recognizes in his favor the mitigating circumstances of confession, psychological alteration derived from drug addiction, and an analogous mitigating circumstance of self-defense, as was proven during the trial, held with a popular jury.
The jury considered it proven last April that El Leyenda and Stephano forcibly broke into Acevedo’s home that summer afternoon, and Acevedo, during a struggle, snatched a pistol from them and shot El Leyenda, causing him very serious injuries that have left him confined to a wheelchair ever since.
The court concludes that the entry into the home was violent and that the accused used both force and intimidation to access the property and try to expel its occupant, which was their objective. Therefore, it considers the crime of home invasion aggravated by the use of violence and intimidation to be fully proven.
The Missing Weapon
Regarding the weapon used, the sentence attributes its initial possession to El Leyenda, thus accusing him of illegal possession of weapons. Although the pistol was never recovered, its existence and functionality are proven by the injuries caused, the impacts located at the scene, and the consistency of the statements of those involved regarding the weapon’s presence.
Read more Treasury promises to agree on the 2027 Budgets with partners before presenting them to Congress
In relation to Carlos Acevedo’s actions, the Court rules out a complete exemption for self-defense. However, it does recognize an analogous mitigating circumstance because there was a prior unlawful aggression, derived from the violent intrusion into the home and the display of the firearm by El Leyenda. In the court’s opinion, Carlos acted to repel the attack, although he used a disproportionate response by firing several shots that hit a vital area.
El Leyenda, a quick and elusive former member of the DDP, arrested for injuries and threats, illicit association, and drug trafficking in police operations linked to gangs, was never convicted of gang membership. But the mention of his name pricked the ears of his followers and spread fear among members of rival gangs, such as the Trinitarios.
The cost of those “glorious” times has been high, and he now lives suffering from severe pain in his legs that he cannot move and with a phone alarm that reminds him to catheterize every four or five hours to eliminate urine. Reconverted into a tiktoker who recounts how to live in a wheelchair, his sentence has been double: paraplegia and prison.
Read more Chapter 5: From parents to children
