Detectives' Endowment Association, Inc. — Paul DiGiacomo, President

The DEA Honor Roll

Official Line of Duty Deaths

Jaime Betancourt

Jaime Betancourt

Rank: Detective

Shield Number: 3738

Command: Bronx Narcotics

Date of Death: 03/31/2002

Cause of Death: Stabbed Off-Duty Domestic Dispute

On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2002, 34 year old narcotics Detective, Jaime Betancourt was relaxing a the Grand Concourse apartment of his girlfriend, Felicia Alvarez, when her former boyfriend, 29-year old Luis Gonzalez, showed up at her door.  Doing what comes naturally for a member of the service, Betancourt attempted to intervene in the domestic dispute arising between his girlfriend and the unexpected visitor, when Gonzalez plunged a knife into him, then fled the scene.  Jaime had been stabbed in the heart and died a short time later at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx.

 

The DEA immediately posted a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Gonzalez, a New Jersey auto mechanic.  The suspect fled but was later apprehended in Miami, Florida, and charged with murder.  He was sentenced to 17 years to life in prison.  He will be eligible for parole in 2022.

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