A Hudson Valley teenager who claimed self-defense in the fatal stabbings of two 16-year-olds at a pizzeria has been acquitted of all homicide charges.
Jurors in Westchester County Court acquitted 19-year-old Yorky Tineo of all homicide charges, including second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.
Teen Acquitted In Fatal Pizza Stabbings
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Jurors found Tineo not guilty of murder and manslaughter in the February 2025 deaths of Jayron Rivera and Tyler King-Mellanson.
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Both victims were 16 at the time of their deaths.
Fatal Stabbing at Yonkers Pizzeria
The fatal stabbings happened on February 6, 2025, inside and just outside Mickey’s Pizzeria on Lake Avenue.
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During the trial, Tineo testified that he was trapped inside the restaurant and believed a group of teenagers had arrived to kill him.
His defense team highlighted a volatile history between Tineo and one of the victims, Jayron Rivera.
Officials say that Rivera stabbed Tineo in the back during a street fight in June 2024. The teen’s legal team also successfully argued that Tineo had just seconds to react when surrounded by a hostile group he believed was dangerous.
Prosecutors said both victims were unarmed and that Tineo faced no immediate threat. King-Mellanson was holding only a cellphone.
Convicted On Lesser Counts
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Tineo was convicted of tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon for hiding the switchblade after the stabbings.
He remains in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced in December. He faces up to four years in prison for the tampering conviction.
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