MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced For Reston, Great Falls Murders: Court

RESTON, VA — A 27-year-old Salvadoran national, who was a member of the Uniones Locos Salvatrucha clique of the Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang, was sentenced to six concurrent life prison sentences in federal court on Thursday for his role in six murders and additional murder conspiracies in Reston, Great Falls and Bedford, Massachusetts.

On Oct. 23, a grand jury convicted Elmer De Jesus Alas Candray, aka German Alexander Ramirez Lopez, Buky, and Desquiciado, of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, five counts of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, five counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and three counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence causing death, according to court records.

“This case is a stark reminder of the violence and disregard for human life inherent in MS-13’s criminal enterprise,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in October. “Their deadly activities, from flooding our streets with dangerous narcotics to the brutal murders by which they attempt to impose their presence, will not go unchecked. Their crimes will be met with the full attention and resources of this office and our law enforcement partners.”
Alas Candray’s convictions stem from six homicides that took place in two states over a period of four years, according to court records.

• New Bedford: On Aug. 25, 2018, Alas Candray and MS-13 members in New Bedford, Massachusetts choked and beat to death a gang member believed to have betrayed MS-13, according to court records. The victim’s body was dismembered and his remains were put in trash bags, which they left in a wooded area near New Bedford. For their roles in this homicide, Alas Candray and his conspirators were promoted within MS-13 ranks, court records say.
• Reston: Armed with a 9 mm firearm, a .45 caliber firearm, and two machetes, Alas Candray and other gang members traveled to the Hunters Woods area of Reston on June 23, 2019. Once there, they killed a man by shooting him and slashing him with a machete, court records say.
• Reston: On Sept. 17, 2020, Alas Candray and others lured a young woman to Colts Neck Road in Reston. They believed the woman was associated with a rival gang and disparaged MS-13 on social media. Alas Candray and three others took turns shooting the woman, mostly in the face, according to court records.
• Reston: On March 11, 2021, Alas Candray fatally shot a man at an apartment complex on Winterthur Court in Reston. Court documents say that Alas Candray and his associates believed the victim to be a member of a rival gang.
• Reston: On May 30, 2022, Alas Candray and co-conspirators were patrolling an area the gang believed to be their turf behind the Lerner Springs at Reston Apartment Homes, when they encountered a man on a footpath. They killed the man by kicking him and dropping a large rock on his head, according to court records.
• Great Falls: Alas Candray and a co-conspirator picked up a Reston man and took him to Seneca Regional Park in Great Falls. Believing that the man had disrespected MS-13 and violated its rules, Alas Candray and otters killed the man by beating him with a baseball bat and stabbing him, court records say. They then buried the victim’s remains.

In addition to the five murder convictions, Alas Candray was also convicted of conspiracy for relaying information through a relative to other ULS members and associates on Aug. 17, 2022, court records say. He told them in coded language to dispose of ammunition and warned them to move because authorities had photos of all of them.

“This verdict sends a clear message that the community will not tolerate violence, and we will hold those accountable for their actions,” said Chief Kevin Davis, of the Fairfax County Police Department.