MS-13 Member Gets 23 Years In LI Murder Of Perceived Enemy, Attempted Murder Of Detective

FREEPORT, NY — A member of the violent MS-13 street gang was sentenced Friday to 23 years to life in prison for his role in the murder of an 18-year-old man and the attempted murder of a Nassau County police detective.

Marvin Moralez, also known as Little Chucky, pleaded guilty Feb. 14 to second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder, prosecutors said Friday. Moralez participated in the killing of Daniel Garcia-Carbajal in Cow Meadow Park in Freeport on March 1, 2021, and pointed a loaded handgun at a detective two weeks later.

A male co-defendant contacted the victim on social media and invited him to hang out with girls, prosecutors said. He was picked up in a car and taken to Cow Meadow Park in Freeport, where he was shot in the head. Garcia-Carbajal's body was found the following day in the park. He was perceived as an enemy of MS-13 due to his social media posts.

Moralez was arrested March 15, 2021, after pointing a loaded gun at a detective who approached the Hyundai SUV he was a passenger in. The SUV was speeding in a Hempstead parking lot.

Prosecutors asked for a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Anne Donnelly, the Nassau County district attorney, praised the sentence.

"This dangerous individual will now spend decades in prison paying for his crimes, unable to cause further harm to Nassau communities," Donnelly said.

Cases against Moralez's co-defendants, Tulio Ayala, Manuel Aparicio Gomez, Kevin Torres, and Henry Canales, in Garcia-Carbajal's death remain pending.