Jury Finds Man Guilty Of 2020 Slaying Of Windsor Locks Teenage Athlete

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — A Hartford man charged with murder in the June 2020 shooting death of a Windsor Locks High School basketball player was found guilty Monday by a jury in Hartford Superior Court.

Daniel Baez, 26, was determined to have fatally shot Elijah Ortega, 16, in Pesci Park on June 24, 2020. A confrontation between two parties was planned at the park in an effort to settle a dispute, and witnesses testified they saw Baez pull a gun out of a fanny pack, according to Hartford State's Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott.

Ortega yelled for everyone to run, and as he did, Baez shot at Ortega, hitting him twice. Ortega was taken to Hartford Hospital, where he died of his injuries, Walcott said.

Following the shooting, Baez fled the scene, and within two days of the crime, Windsor Locks detectives had obtained an arrest warrant for him. He eluded authorities for nearly a month before being captured July 23, 2020 in West Haven, Lt. Paul Cherniack said at the time.

Baez has been in custody in lieu of $1.25 million bond since his arrest. He will be sentenced Jan. 5, 2024 in Hartford Superior Court.

An accomplice of Baez, Sydney Witchard, 22, was charged in late July 2020 with second-degree hindering prosecution, a Class C felony, in connection with the case. She has been free on $45,000 bond and is awaiting trial, according to judicial records.