A Bronx man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday for killing one bouncer and seriously injuring another during a violent altercation outside a Gowanus party in 2022.
Jose Velasco, 22, of the Morrisania section of the Bronx, was ejected from a party at 168 7th St. on Feb. 26, 2022, after acting aggressively around 10:30 p.m., according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.
Once outside, Velasco engaged in a verbal dispute with three bouncers, during which two of them punched him in the head and face. Prosecutors said Velasco then pulled a kitchen knife from his waistband, stabbing one of the bouncers, 21, in the back before chasing and fatally stabbing 25-year-old Marvin Pretto in the chest.
EMS rushed Pretto to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The Bensonhurst resident was laid to rest on Mar. 12, leaving behind a wife and two young children.
“Marvin brought joy, laughter, and courage to everyone that he encountered. He never said no to his friends, family, or strangers,” Pretto’s wife posted following his death. “He will be the first to give his last or the shirt off his back as well as the shoes off his feet to anyone who was in need.”
The 21-year-old bouncer was also hospitalized with a lacerated liver and later transferred to Stony Brook Medical Center for further treatment.
Police apprehended Velasco about an hour after the attack near 2nd Avenue and 13th Street, where he dropped the blood-stained knife as officers approached. An eyewitness later identified him at the scene.
Velasco was charged with manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon following his arrest. He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Oct. 16, 2024.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun sentenced Velasco to 20 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision on Dec. 4.
“This was a senseless and escalatory act of violence that cost a man his life,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. “The defendant has admitted his guilt and will now have to live with the disastrous consequences of his actions.”
