MS-13 leader in New York sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder

A leader of the MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) gang in New York He was sentenced this Monday to 25 years in prison for ordering in March 2017 the murder of a man considered an enemy of the group and a member of a rival gang, according to the authorities of Long Island, in the southeast of the state.

Ramon Martinez39, known as “little cross”, and who led the Locos Salvatrucha subgroup in Nassau County (Long Island), had pleaded guilty on September 15 for the murder of Nelson Rodriguezwho was shot in the back of the head by a member of that gang.

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According to a statement from Nassau District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, the now convicted “exercised his control over the group” to order the murder of Rodriguez, 39, and drove a vehicle carrying his subordinates to search for him and murder him in retaliation for an assault on a member of MS-13.

According to the statement, they located Rodriguezwho was not a member of the Calle 14 gang as they believed, and the order to kill him was received by a gang member who carried a weapon, Pedro Rivera, already convicted in this case.

Rivera got out of the vehicle, began to walk toward Rodriguez, and when he passed him, he turned around and shot him in the head. When the victim fell to the ground, he continued to shoot her in the back, according to authorities.

Rivera and another defendant, Carlos Flores, were tried for this murder and in October 2019 received a sentence of a minimum of 50 years in prison up to life in prison. Another defendant, Héctor Lazo, is awaiting sentencing.

In October 2012, the United States Government included the Mara Salvatrucha in the list of international criminal organizations and it was the first gang to receive that denomination.

The group was included on that list for “its involvement in dangerous international activities that include drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, human trafficking, prostitution, extortion or organized crime,” according to the US government.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.