Peekskill Resident Jailed for Fatal 2020 Stabbing at China Pier
A Peekskill man was sentenced to 10 years in prison last week for the Nov. 2020 stabbing of a prominent Peekskill High School soccer player.
Matthew Torres, 18, who pled guilty on Sept. 29, 2021 to manslaughter in the first degree and assault in the first degree, both felonies, also was sentenced to five years of post-release supervision on Dec. 15 by Judge Helen Blackwood.
On Nov. 18, 2020, at approximately 9:15 p.m., several teens gathered at China Pier on Louisa St. in Peekskill to settle a dispute that began on social media. During the exchange, Torres stabbed Joaquin Salazar multiple times following a physical altercation. Salazar, 18, who graduated Peekskill High in June 2020, died later at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
A second victim, an 18-year-old male, who Torres stabbed once, underwent surgery at New York Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital.
“This was a horrible tragedy, and we mourn the loss of Joaquin Salazar, whose young life was taken far too early. Our hearts break for his family, loved ones, and the entire Peekskill community,” said Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah. “Speaking with parents who have lost a child due to crime is one of the hardest things I do as a mother and as district attorney. This tragedy shattered so many young lives, including the defendant’s, in an instant. There must be accountability, and we must also work together as a community to ensure that disputes amongst young people do not end with death.”
The Peekskill Police Department, assisted by New York State Police, investigated the incident and arrested Torres.
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