ALLENTOWN, Pa. – An Allentown man is on trial right now, charged with shooting and killing a grandmother and her 13-month-old grandson she was holding in her arms.
The child’s grandfather was also shot, but he survived and he testified on the stand Tuesday.
45-year-old Gabriel Cartagena could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted of the multiple murder charges he’s facing. Cartagena is accused of approaching Leandro Ortiz’ home on the 100 block of Chestnut St. in Allentown with his gun drawn and knocking on the front door on December 29th, 2023. Ortiz’ wife, Ada, answered, holding her 13-month-old grandson Sebastian in her arms, and Cartagena is accused of opening fire on them.
Ada was shot six times, and Sebastian was shot twice. Leandro Ortiz was in the kitchen and came running when he heard the gunshots. He said he pushed the shooter out of the house, and he was shot once in the chest in the process. The shooter then fled the scene.
A security camera in the window was recording the whole time, but because it was dark, it’s almost impossible to identify the shooter. Ortiz’ daughter was in the house as well and called 9-1-1. We watched the police body cam in court as they responded to the bloody scene. The officers found three other grandchildren hiding upstairs. We also heard from a forensic expert who confirmed Ada and Sebastian died from their gunshot wounds.
Ortiz said on the stand he knew Cartagena was responsible because he saw him up close, saying he could never forget that face, but the defense tried to sow some doubt in the minds of the jury, suggesting prosecutors might not have the right guy because Ortiz didn’t positively identify Cartagena until about a week ago. Before that, he had told police the suspect was simply a black man, about 5 feet 8 inches tall.
District Attorney Gavin Holihan told us he expects the trial to last until Friday.