Georgetown man receives two life sentences for 2022 shootings

A Georgetown man has received two life sentences and 97 years in prison for his role in a 2022 double homicide at a Georgetown restaurant.

Yony Morales-Garcia, 24, was defiant at his July 19 sentencing in Delaware Superior Court in Georgetown, insisting he did not commit the January 2022 murders of Armando Vincente Chilel Lopez and Honorio Velasquez at the El Nopalito restaurant.

The shooting that killed Lopez, 31, and Velasquez, 28, started with an incident between Lopez and the Morales-Garcia brothers, Yony and Emner, 23, at the El Nopalito restaurant. Following the incident, the Morales-Garcia brothers were removed from the restaurant. Feeling disrespected, the brothers returned; Emner allegedly stole a chain from around Lopez’s neck. Prosecutors said as Emner fled, Yony produced a gun and opened fire.

Originally, both Morales-Garcia brothers were charged with two counts of first-degree murder, which carry life sentences if convicted. However, in June, murder charges were dropped against Emner because prosecutors could not prove he planned or took part in the shooting. He pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and conspiracy charges, and is serving a nine-year sentence.

During his sentencing, Yony Morales-Garcia told the families of Lopez and Velasquez that he was sorry for their loss but could not apologize for a crime he did not commit. He blamed his guilty verdict on 17 charges on ineffective counsel and a biased prosecution. He said witnesses that were called were not truthful and not all witnesses were called to the stand. He said no witness came forward and said they saw him commit the shooting. 

Twice during his sentencing statement, Judge Craig Karsnitz had to interrupt Morales-Garcia and admonish him for trying to relitigate his case. He did allow Morales-Garcia to finish his entire statement, which Morales-Garcia concluded by saying that what happened in his case is not justice and that he will continue to try to prove his innocence. 

Morales-Garcia was convicted in May, after his first trial in December ended in a mistrial. Prosecutors refiled the case and were able to secure a conviction on two charges of first-degree murder, six counts of possession of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony, robbery, using a disguise in the commission of a felony, conspiracy and three counts of reckless endangerment. 

Deputy Attorney General Alexis Gatti brought up members of the victim’s families to speak on their behalf at the sentencing.

Ulises Pineda, Lopez’s cousin, spoke for him, as Lopez’s mother still lives in her native Mexico. Speaking through an interpreter, Pineda said it was difficult to express how difficult Lopez’s death has been for the family. He said he was the one that had to tell his aunt, Lopez’s mother, that her son was dead. Pineda spoke of hearing her crying at the news and having to answer questions for relatives on what had happened to Lopez. He said he had to fight to have Lopez’s body sent back to Mexico, and credited the state and the Georgetown Hispanic community for helping make that happen. Pineda said Lopez was a good friend and a loving father to his daughter, and that it is not fair that the Morales-Garcia brothers act as if nothing happened. He said his family asked Karsnitz for justice, not revenge.

Speaking on behalf of Velasquez was his mother, Ilvia Velasquez-Soto, and his sister, Oneilia Velasquez-Velasquez. Velasquez-Soto, speaking through an interpreter, could not hold back tears as she described raising her son as a single mother. She said she had spoken to him on the phone hours before he was shot. She said when she got the news, she could not believe it at first. Getting caught up in the emotion, at times, Velasquez-Soto spoke so fast Karsnitz had to stop her so the interpreter could catch up. 

“Maybe they know why they did this,” she said of the Morales-Garcia brothers. “I miss my son. I miss his voice.”

In giving his sentence, Karsnitz said while much of the sentence was mandatory by law, he gave Morales-Garcia more time than recommended, due to Morales-Garcia’s lack of remorse and the cruel randomness of the crime. He said Morales-Garcia had the opportunity to call and cross-examine witnesses at his trial and not doing so was his choice.