Alexander Ortiz stood before the judge, facing the full force of the accusations against him—the brutal murder of 20-year-old Alianna Farfan. For her grieving family, seeing him in that courtroom, standing there like just another defendant instead of the monster they believed him to be, was too much to handle.
Alianna’s uncle, Carlos Lucero, couldn’t hold back his rage any longer. In a heartbeat, he launched himself over the courtroom partition and charged at Ortiz, fists flying. His grief, his fury—it all came pouring out in the form of violent blows. Security footage captured the moment he tackled Ortiz to the ground, landing punch after punch before anyone could react.
But he wasn’t alone. Within seconds, Alianna’s father, Pete Ysasi, joined the attack, kicking Ortiz as he lay on the floor. The courtroom, a place meant for order, became an all-out battlefield. The scuffle grew even more intense when Ortiz’s own father, Joeray, got involved, trying to intervene in the brawl.
Court security officers and deputies rushed in to break up the fight, but emotions were running too high. It took multiple officers to regain control, pulling Lucero and Ysasi away and detaining them. Both men were later arrested and charged with assault and battery on a peace officer. But Lucero, still seething with anger, had no regrets. “He killed my niece like a coward,” he reportedly said. “It was worth every moment.”
Ortiz, left bloodied and bruised from the attack, is facing more than just one murder charge. Authorities allege that, less than a week after Alianna’s death, he took another life—that of Nicole Maldonado. His charges include multiple counts of murder and aggravated assault, painting a dark and violent history that has left two families shattered.
The entire ordeal, captured on bodycam footage, is more than just a dramatic courtroom brawl—it’s a raw, unfiltered look at the kind of pain that never goes away. It’s the kind of grief that bubbles under the surface until, one day, it erupts into something uncontrollable.
This incident has sparked conversations about courtroom security. Could this have been prevented? Should there be stricter measures in place to keep these kinds of emotional outbursts from happening? Katina Watson, CEO of the Second Judicial District Court, acknowledged that these incidents, while rare, are not unheard of. She commended the swift action of officers but admitted that when emotions run this high, preventing an eruption like this is nearly impossible.
At its core, this courtroom chaos is not just about the fight that broke out—it’s about a family torn apart, about justice that feels too slow, and about a grief so deep that even the strongest person can’t hold it in forever. For Alianna’s family, this was more than just a court hearing. It was a moment where their pain took center stage, where their heartbreak turned into action. And whether right or wrong, for them, it was a moment that, as Lucero put it, was “worth every second.”
