A Waterbury man with a violent criminal history has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after he “hunted down” a teenager in Waterbury in 2022 where she shot and killed him, a judge said.
Frankie DeJesus, 28, received the sentence in New Haven Superior Court on Tuesday in connection with the murder of 18-year-old William Beltran of Waterbury, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice.
During the hearing, Judge Maureen Keegan said DeJesus was “dressed head-to-toe in all black” when he “physically hunted down” Beltran, DCJ officials said. She also noted that his criminal history included convictions for illegal possession of firearms, assault and sale of narcotics.
According to the DCJ, multiple family members of Beltran spoke at sentencing and described the loss they have suffered.
“Whether such crime occurs in Waterbury or New Haven, the facts are no less tragic for our state,” New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. said in a statement. “Mr. DeJesus, who had previous illegal firearms convictions, took a life with a firearm he was prohibited from possessing, and that choice carries with it a 50-year consequence.”
In September, a jury found DeJesus guilty on one count of murder. Keegan also found him guilty of criminal possession of a firearm.
According to officials, Beltran was found suffering from gunshot wounds in the 100 block of Willow Street on July 20, 2022, after officers responded to the area on a report of shots fired. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
During the trial, prosecutors introduced an eyewitness who was able to place DeJesus at the scene “with a motive,” DCJ officials said. Additional evidence came from surveillance cameras, cell phone data and ballistic comparisons, according to officials.
DeJesus was charged in the teen’s death five days after the killing when investigators with the Waterbury Police Department obtained a warrant for his arrest. According to the state Department of Correction, he has been in custody since.