GEORGETOWN, Del. - Yony Morales García, one of the defendants in a double homicide at a Georgetown restaurant in Jan. 2022, was found guilty on all 17 counts on Thursday, a Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed to CoastTV.
On Jan. 22, 2022, the Georgetown Police Department and Delaware State Police responded to a shooting at El Nopalito Restaurant, where Armando Vicente Chilel López, 31, and Honorio Velásquez, 28, were shot and killed. A group of men, including the suspects, Yony Morales García and his brother, Emner Morales García, had been previously asked to leave the restaurant due to their disorderly behavior. They later returned wearing masks, said Delaware State Police.
Per the Delaware Department of Justice, Emner Morales García approached a bystander, Frank Garza, and stole the necklace he was wearing. As Emner fled the robbery, Yony received a gun and opened fire on two other bystanders, Chilel López and Velásquez. Chilel López was treated at Nanticoke Hospital, where he died of his wounds, and Velásquez was declared dead at the scene.
Yony Morales García. Picture courtesy of Delaware State Police.
Yony Morales García faced the following charges:
- Two counts of first-degree murder
- Seven counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
- Robbery first degree
- Carrying a concealed deadly weapon
- Wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony
- Conspiracy first degree
- Three counts of reckless endangering first-degree
- Aggravated menacing
In contrast, Emner Morales García avoided trial after reaching a plea deal last year, pleading guilty to robbery and conspiracy.
According to a Department of Justice spokesperson, sentencing for Yony Morales García is scheduled for July 12.