District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the conviction and sentencing of three young men in the 2021 murder of a teen ice dancer who dreamed of competing in the Olympics.
Joseph Cuevas, 23, Luis Castillo, 23, and Anthony Sherman, 20, were all arrested and convicted in the death of 18-year-old Joshua Anthony Soto.
On Nov. 4, 2021, Sherman and Castillo were inside the home of Soto's friend on East Cornwall Street near Kensington Avenue. At the time, Soto's friend -- who Assistant District Attorney Robert Wainwright referred to as "Z" during a Thursday morning press conference -- was hanging out and smoking with Sherman and Castillo, investigators said. Z also showed off two handguns he owned, according to Wainwright.
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Wainwright said Z was a marijuana dealer and Sherman and Castillo plotted to rob him of his drugs and money. They also contacted Cuevas to help them.
Two days later, on Nov. 6, 2021, around 3:45 p.m., Soto was hanging out and watching Netflix at Z's home when Castillo, Cuevas and Sherman all arrived.
The three suspects began hanging out with Z, smoking marijuana and drinking with him, Wainwright said. They then asked Z to show them his two guns.
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“Before they committed the robbery, they had to convince Z to show off his guns again. So they did exactly that,” Wainwright said. “They kind of asked if they could smoke a little weed with Z. They started that. They even brought some Hennessy with them as kind of a gift to make him think that they were all on friendly terms.”
After Z handed Castillo his weapons, Castillo pointed them back at him and announced a robbery.
Z then lunged for his weapons and Cuevas, who was wearing an ankle monitor at the time, pulled out his own gun and opened fire. Soto was shot in the chest while Z was shot twice in the abdomen and once in the leg. Soto fled from the home before collapsing outside. He was pronounced dead minutes later at the scene while his friend was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Investigators said Soto didn't do drugs, wasn't involved in any of Z's illegal activities and was not the intended target.
All three suspects fled the home. Sherman was arrested shortly after the shooting while Castillo was arrested two days later. Cuevas was still on the loose, however.
A few weeks after Soto's murder, a vehicle registered to Cuevas was found engulfed in flames in Northeast Philadelphia. Cuevas was then arrested.
Z, who survived the shooting, then identified all three suspects.
In March 2024, Cuevas was found guilty of second degree murder, attempted murder and related firearm offenses. Castillo pleaded guilty to third degree murder, conspiracy, aggravated assault and related firearm offenses shortly before trial. Sherman pleaded guilty to third degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy.
Cuevas was sentenced to life in state prison with the possibility of parole while Castillo was sentenced to 35 to 70 years in state prison.
Soto's parents and sister all attended a press conference Thursday morning in which Krasner announced the convictions and sentencing.
"Joshua Soto was a unique, humble, and passionate person," Damaris Perez-Soto, Joshua's mother, said. "He was a pillar to his community. He loved his peers and his passion for skating was immeasurable. I thank ADA Robert Wainwright, District Attorney Larry Krasner and his office, and the Philadelphia Police Department for getting justice for our family."
The family also shared a video of Soto expressing his passion for ice dancing.
Perez-Soto also forgave the men responsible for her son's death.
“We forgave them. We don’t hate them," she said. "My personal feeling towards them is sorrow and disappointment. I just hope that whatever help is given to them there while they’re incarcerated, that they take it.”
Soto was a high school grad from Philadelphia's Juniata Park neighborhood. His family says he was just as passionate about ice dancing as he was about the people he encountered.
Growing up in the city’s Juniata Park section, ice dancing was an opportunity to represent his country on a global stage, Soto's family said. As a national junior ice dancer, Soto’s goal was to be a Team USA Olympian. He last competed in a junior ice dance national figure skating championship series and was preparing for his next big competition.
"He was one who looked at barriers and said, 'you know what, it may be a challenge for me and someone who looks like me,'" Soto's father Jesus Soto said back in 2021, "but he didn’t allow that to stop him."
Soto teamed up with Mila Guberman on the ice, competing in the Intermediate U.S. Figure Skating ranks. His skating partner remembered him as "the best skating partner and best friend I could’ve ever asked for."
"You lit up my life, as well as everyone else’s and I’m so mad, sad, and confused at the world for taking you so soon," Guberman wrote on Instagram.
Soto's parents said scholarships have been given in their son's name to help children in Kensington who have interest in figure skating.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
