Press Releases
01/05/2024
Judge Sentences Daniel Baez to 48 Years in Prison for 2020 Murder of Elijah Ortega in Windsor Locks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hartford, CT) – Sharmese L. Walcott, State’s Attorney for the Hartford Judicial District, announced that the Honorable Kevin C. Doyle today sentenced Daniel Baez, age 26, of Hartford, to 48 years in prison for the 2020 fatal shooting of Elijah Ortega, age 16, in Windsor Locks.
A Hartford Superior Court jury on November 6, 2023 found Baez guilty of the crime of Murder, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54a. Evidence presented at trial showed that on June 24, 2020, Windsor Locks police officers were called to Pesci Park for a report of shots fired in the area. Investigations revealed that a confrontation between two parties was planned at the park in an effort to settle a dispute. Witnesses testified that they saw Baez pull a gun out of a fanny pack. Ortega yelled for everyone to run, and as he did, Baez shot at Ortega, hitting him twice. Ortega, a member of the Windsor Locks High School basketball team, was taken to Hartford Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
State’s Attorney Walcott commended the work of Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Jesse Giddings, the lead prosecutor in the case, and Certified Legal Interns Olivia Jones and Kevin Gaidos, and Inspector Joseph Buyak.
"This is another case of senseless gun violence devastating communities and families,” State’s Attorney Walcott said. “I hope this sentence brings some measure of peace to the victim's family and loved ones. Their pain was palpable throughout this arduous process."