Guilty verdict in machete attack near school
WILKES-BARRE (AP) – A northeastern Pennsylvania man was convicted in a machete attack that nearly severed a teenager’s hand.
After three hours of deliberations on Wednesday, a Luzerne County jury found 21-year-old Juan Borbon guilty on two counts of aggravated assault and related counts. Sentencing is set for Oct. 21.
Borbon denied any involvement in the February 2012 fight outside G.A.R. High School in Wilkes-Barre.
Prosecutors said Borbon swung a machete at 15-year-old Marquis Allen, nearly cutting off the 10th grader’s hand during a melee between two groups of young people. Police said the teen was trying to break up the fight.
Authorities said the brawl stemmed from tensions between black students and Dominican students at the school.
It took a nine-hour surgery but doctors were able to save Allen’s hand.