MS-13 Gang Members Convicted for Roles in 3 Horrific Murders in Northern Virginia

Six members of the street gang La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, were convicted Monday by a federal jury for their roles in three murders and one attempted murder in Northern Virginia, among other charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

“These violent gang members brutally murdered three men and attempted to murder a fourth,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in an announcement about the convictions.

“Extreme violence is the hallmark of MS-13, and these horrific crimes represent exactly what the gang stands for," Boente said. "This was a highly complicated, death penalty eligible case with 13 defendants and more than two dozen defense attorneys. To say I am proud of our trial team and investigative partners is an understatement. I want to thank them for their terrific work on this case and for bringing these criminals to justice.”

“The defendants terrorized our local communities with senseless, depraved acts of threats, intimidation and violence,” said Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “They murdered in the name of MS-13, but as this jury’s verdict makes clear, no gang can protect them from facing justice for their crimes. This verdict sends a clear message that the FBI will hold violent gangs and murderers fully accountable for their actions. I would like to thank the agents, analysts and prosecutors for their tireless efforts to eradicate gang violence in our communities.”

A total of 13 defendants were charged in this case, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Of those, six defendants went to trial and were convicted of all charges. Six defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial, and one defendant was severed from the case and will have a separate trial at a later date.

Woodbridge

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Oct. 1, 2013, Jose Lopez Torres, Jaime Rosales Villegas and others drove to Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge to murder a fellow gang member, authorities said. However, one of the gang members in the car had not only alerted police to the murder plot, he also made recorded phone calls and wore a body wire to a meeting where the gang members, including Pedro Anthony Romero Cruz, who participated from prison on a contraband cell phone, planned the murder. The gang members’ vehicle was under surveillance that night, the victim had been warned to not be at school, and the informant was wearing a body wire.

Fairfax County' Mason District: Two murders in Holmes Run Stream Valley Park

• Trujillo murder: According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Oct. 7, 2013, Torres, Omar DeJesus Castillo, Juan Carlos Marquez Ayala, Araely Santiago Villanueva, Jose Del Cid, and three others murdered fellow gang member Nelson Omar Quintanilla Trujillo, according to the Monday news release. The gang believed Trujillo was a snitch, and so the gang members lured him to Holmes Run Park in Falls Church, and brutally killed him by stabbing him with knives and slashing him with a machete. When they were done they buried Trujillo in a shallow grave. Several gang members returned a short time later and, with the assistance of Alvin Gaitan Benitez, reburied the body of Trujillo.
• Aguilar murder: According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on March 29, 2014, Castillo, Benitez, Christian Lemus Cerna, Manuel Ernesto Paiz Guevara, Villanueva, Del Cid, and one other murdered Gerson Adoni Martinez Aguilar, a gang recruit, for breaking gang rules. Like Trujillo, the gang members lured him to Holmes Run Park and killed him. They stabbed him repeatedly, cut off his head, and then buried him in a shallow grave.

Alexandria area

Urrutia murder: According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on June 19, 2014, Jesus Alejandro Chavez, Del Cid, and Genaro Sen Garcia murdered Julio Urrutia. Several gang members including Chavez, who had been released from prison eight days earlier, were out looking for rival gang members when they approached a group of young men, flashed their gang signs, and challenged them about their gang affiliation. During the exchange Chavez pulled out a gun and shot Urrutia in the neck at point blank range. The Washington Post reported the shooting took place in Alexandria; it wasn't clear whether that was in the City of Alexandria or a part of Fairfax County.

Each defendant convicted at trial faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison when sentenced, authorities said Monday. Villegas and Cruz face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy to commit murder charge, in addition to a consecutive minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Villegas also faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on the attempted murder charge.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Chief of Police, Fairfax County Police Department; Earl L. Cook, Chief of Police, Alexandria City Police Department; and Stephan M. Hudson, Chief of Police, Prince William County Police Department, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia K. Martinez and Tobias D. Tobler are prosecuting the case. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Fairfax County Police Department’s Gang Investigations Unit, the Prince William County Police Department, and the Alexandria City Police Department.

Defendants:

• Pedro Anthony Romero Cruz, 28: Convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. Sentencing: July 15
• Jose Lopez Torres, 26: Convicted of Conspiracy, Attempted, and Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. Sentencing: August 5
• Jaime Rosales Villegas, 31: Convicted of Conspiracy and Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence; Sentencing: May 20
• Juan Carlos Marquez Ayala, 22: Convicted of Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Sentencing: June 3
• Omar Dejesus Castillo, 26: Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Sentencing: August 12
• Alvin Gaitan Benitez, 23: Convicted of Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Accessory After the Fact; Sentencing: Sept. 9
• Christian Lemus Cerna, 20: Convicted of Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Sentencing: Sept. 9
• Araely Santiago Villanueva, 18: Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Life Sentence
• Manuel Ernesto Paiz Guevara, 21: Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Sentencing Sept. 9
• Jose Del Cid, 18: Convicted of Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering; 2 Life Sentences
• Jesus Alejandro Chavez, 25: Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence Resulting in Death; Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Sentencing Aug. 5
• Genaro Sen Garcia, 19: Convicted of Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Life Sentence

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