A thug convicted of the “childish and cowardly” murder of a Queens man who attempted to defend his younger brother was sentenced today to life in prison.
Benjamin Moreira, 21, was found guilty by a jury for knifing 27-year-old Dario Paiva in the heart after his brother, Khristian, was attacked by four Latin King gangbangers, which included Moreira, three blocks from his Woodhaven home on July 30, 2010.
“Holidays are out of the window for my family because we are all in pain,” said Paiva’s oldest brother, David Poggi, who choked back tears during his impact statement.
Moreira, of Elmhurst, was sentenced to 24 years to life in prison by Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak for “trying to act tough by carrying a knife.”
“What you did was end a journey before it started, ended potential and ended more memories to be made,” said Khristian who testified at the two week trial as the prosecutor’s key eyewitness to the bloodshed.
“To take a life and not think about the repercussions to yourself and your family is childish and cowardly,” he said to Moreira who declined to apologize to the victim’s family as instructed by his defense attorney in order “not to affect an appeal.”
Khristian, 20, was on the phone with his mother when she over heard a commotion and alerted the 27-year-old, Dario to go help. The attackers fled to the 85th Street-Forest Parkway J-train subway platform and Dario went after them.
After a verbal dispute, Dario was stabbed in the chest and died later at the hospital.
Moreira disputes his affiliation with the Latin Kings.