A waiter at a New York restaurant was convicted of manslaughter for stabbing a co-worker with a damaged bottle throughout an argument over $20 value of suggestions, prosecutors introduced Wednesday.
David Jimenez Salazar, 25, was convicted by a jury on Tuesday of fatally stabbing 37-year-old busser Elvin Padilla on July 16, 2020 on the Hicksville restaurant on Lengthy Island the place they each labored, Nassau County District Legal professional Anne Donnelly mentioned.
The deadly dispute occurred throughout the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic when the homeowners of the restaurant, La Candela, had instituted a coverage that waiters had been to share 30% of their suggestions with bussers.
Padilla accused Salazar of withholding $20 in suggestions, and the 2 started arguing and shoving one another, the district lawyer mentioned in a information launch.
In line with prosecutors, Padilla exited the kitchen and headed to the bar, the place Salazar was ready for him.
Salazar picked up a vodka bottle and swung it at Padilla, placing him, prosecutors mentioned. He then broke the bottle on the counter and swung it once more at Padilla, stabbing him in the jugular with the jagged-edged bottleneck, they mentioned. Padilla was pronounced useless on the scene.
Salazar faces as much as 25 years in jail when he’s sentenced on March 16.
Salazar’s lawyer, Karl C. Seman, mentioned his shopper acted after Padilla had grabbed a wine bottle and charged at him.
“At no time did the defendant ever intend to cause the death of his co-worker,” Seman mentioned, including that Salazar “is exploring his appellate avenues.”