Jury finds CT man guilty of gunning down high school basketball player in a park in Windsor Locks

A Hartford man was found guilty Monday of gunning down a 16-year-old Windsor Locks High School basketball player in a park three years ago. 

A jury on Monday found a Hartford man guilty of gunning down a Windsor Locks teenager in a park three years ago.

Daniel Phillip Baez, 26, was convicted of murder in Hartford Superior Court on Monday, according to court officials and his attorney.

Baez was arrested in July 2020 and charged with murder in the death of 16-year-old Elijah Ortega, who was shot to death in Pesci Park in Windsor Locks on June 24, 2020, court records show.

The jury in Baez’s case began deliberating on Friday and asked to review some witness testimony from the trial while making their decision, said Baez’s attorney Dennis P. McMahon.

The testimony was played back for them, MacMahon said, and they returned their verdict early Monday afternoon.

McMahon said he was disappointed with the guilty verdict.

“Very disappointed in the verdict, but the jury listened to both sides and they rendered a decision which is just what we asked them to do,” he said Monday afternoon. “It doesn’t make the disappointment any better, but they did the best they could.”

Arrest warrant: convicted felon shot a fleeing Windsor Locks teenager during planned park fight

Ortega and Baez reportedly came face to face in a planned meeting in Pesci Park after 10 p.m. on June 24, 2020, according to the arrest warrant affidavit for Baez.

Ortega reportedly began to take off his hooded sweatshirt so the two could fight, but Baez pulled a gun and Ortega said, “Oh (expletive),” and turned to run, Windsor Locks Police Department officers wrote in the affidavit.

Baez allegedly chased Ortega down and shot him. Ortega was shot twice, once in the left thigh and once in the torso, according to police and court records.

Baez was on the run after the murder, according to the police. He was eventually arrested on a warrant in West Haven without incident, police said.

“We cannot change what occurred, but we hope this begins to give the family peace and consolation in a tragic situation,” police said in a statement at the time of his arrest.

According to his obituary, Ortega was born in Hartford and left behind “a strong village to fulfill his legacy,” including his parents, step-parents and four sisters.

He was a basketball player at Windsor Locks High School, according to multiple media reports.

“Although Elijah’s life was brief, he has left lifelong memories to hold onto, and to cherish,” his obituary said.

Another person is still facing charges in connection with the homicide.

Records show that Sydney Witchard, who had dated Ortega and drove Baez to the park that night, had allegedly told Ortega that Baez wanted to fight, Windsor Locks Det. Daniel Bontempo wrote in the warrant affidavit.

In an interview with detectives, Witchard reportedly said that Baez and Ortega knew each other and had disagreements in the past. At the time of the shooting, Baez was angry after hearing that Ortega had disrespected a close friend of Baez, police said Witchard told them.

Witchard is charged with second-degree hindering prosecution for allegedly helping Baez elude capture after the shooting, police said. She has been released from custody on a $45,000 bond and her case is currently on the trial list, court records show.

McMahon said he plans to appeal Baez’s conviction based on several factors but declined to provide more information on what grounds he would appeal.

Baez is set to be sentenced in Hartford Superior Court on Jan. 5, 2024, McMahon said. He has been in custody since July 24, 2020, and is being held at the MacDougall Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, according to state Department of Correction records.