A grieving family physically attacked the alleged killer of 16-year-old Diamond Alvarez for “laughing” in the face of the victim’s mother during her testimony in court.
After 19-year-old Frank DeLeon Jr. pleaded guilty to the murder of his ex-girlfriend, chaos broke out when Alvarez’s mother, Anna Machado, made a beeline for him after giving her victim impact testimony in the Texas courtroom on Tuesday.
As the New York Post reports, DeLeon is accused of shooting Alvarez 22 times in January 2022.
As the bailiff was holding Machado back before she was able to reach the alleged murderer, Alvarez’s uncle managed to rush at the teenager, landing several punches.
Courtroom footage captured by KHOU showed the event unfold into utter chaos, with the uncle being tackled to the ground while DeLeon was ushered into a corner of the room. Machado could be seen attempting to rush to the defense of her family member, but was shoved away by DeLeon’s mother.
The families were eventually separated by court staff, after which Judge Hazel B. Jones ordered the court to adjourn. Alvarez’s uncle was removed from the courtroom in handcuffs, though it is unclear if he was charged.
In her testimony, Machado called her daughter’s ex-boyfriend a “monster,” and said his mother raised him to be that way. She was the one who rushed to find her daughter Diamond lying on the ground outside after being shot and attempted to perform CPR on her.
“That was wrong of me, that was wrong of us, because we are not monsters,” the murdered girl’s mother told reporters following the fight.
“But it’s so much hate, because I want my daughter back, and what he did is horrible, seeing my daughter there and looking at him, knowing he did that, and him laughing at my face, it was very wrong and I’m sorry for that.”
“He’s a monster in my eyes. That would never change. Did he look remorseful at all? No. He was laughing at my face. [Like] it’s a joke. A life is not a joke. My daughter’s not a joke.”
According to the New York Post, Alvarez and DeLeon had broken up when the girl discovered her boyfriend had been cheating on her. On the night of the shooting, DeLeon asked Alvarez to meet him at a park.
The alleged killer opted to accept a plea deal and was sentenced to serve 45 years in prison.
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