Three-and-a-half years after her son was shot and killed on the Lower East Side for his winter jacket, Arlene Delgado got justice yesterday. But the conclusion of the legal case offered her little solace.
19-year-old Timothy Montalvo was sentenced to 15 years to life. He was charged with murder for supplying the gun used to murder 16-year-old Raphael Sadonte Ward in January of 2013. The shooter was never caught. Montalvo refused to help cops find his accomplices.
The murder happened on Columbia Street not far from the Baruch Houses, where Ward lived. Delgado addressed Montalvo before the sentencing, telling him, “Neither one of us walk out of here a winner today… I’m going to deal with this heartache for the rest of my life.”
“Although I may never forgive you, ” she added, “I pray you look to God for answers and make better decisions moving forward,” The judge could have imposed a longer sentence, but Delgado said it wouldn’t have made a difference to her. “If they give you ten years, 25 years, it doesn’t ease my pain at all,” she explained.
Montalvo offered a brief apology during the court session. “I want to say I’m sorry even though I’m sorry is not going to bring him back,” he said.
After the murder, Delgado started the Sadonte Foundation to combat youth violence. The group is holding a memorial baseball tournament this weekend (see below).
Yesterday’s court session was covered by the Daily News and the Post.
