Two Sentenced to Prison for 19-Year-Old’s Stabbing Death in Lincoln Park

Two men were sentenced to state prison terms Tuesday for their roles in the stabbing death of a 19-year-old man during a fight in the Lincoln Park neighborhood more than three years ago.

Cesar Diaz-Vazquez, 21, and Daniel Valenzuela, 42, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter counts in the April 8, 2019, stabbing of Orlando Montoya at Kennedy Neighborhood Park.

According to prosecutors, the killing stemmed from a separate argument earlier that day between Valenzuela and a group of teens. The groups decided to meet later for a fight at the park a few blocks away.

Though Montoya was not present for the initial argument, he was at the park when the fight broke out and was stabbed during a skirmish with Diaz- Vazquez, who was 18 at the time.

On Wednesday, Diaz-Vazquez was sentenced to an agreed-upon term of 12 years in state prison. Valenzuela, who prosecutors say armed himself with a screwdriver for the melee at the park, was sentenced to a stipulated eight-year term.

–City News Service