Three MS-13 Gang Members Admit Guilt in Nine Murders in NYC Suburbs

NEW YORK—Three top members of the MS-13 gang have confessed to their involvement in nine murders, which included the use of machetes and firearms in the suburbs of New York City, according to federal prosecutors.

Kevin Torres admitted guilt on Friday in federal court located in Central Islip for racketeering offenses linked to the killings, which occurred during a tumultuous time for the notorious gang in New York from 2016 to 2017.

The 29-year-old resident of Freeport was the regional leader for the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside, a Long Island subgroup of MS-13, as per the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York.

David Sosa-Guevara, 33, and Victor Lopez-Morales, 36, both from Roosevelt, also entered guilty pleas on Thursday in Central Islip court. Prosecutors stated that Sosa-Guevara was the New York leader of the Hollywood Locos Salvatruchas, another MS-13 faction on Long Island, while Lopez-Morales held a senior position within the gang.

Many victims were reportedly suspected rivals who were brutally hacked to death with machetes and other weapons in isolated parks and wooded areas. Numerous bodies were left in shallow graves, only to be found months or even years later.

Notable victims included Samuel Martinez-Sandoval, Oscar Acosta, Kerin Pineda, Josue Amaya-Leonor, Marcus Bohannon, Javier Castillo, and Carlos Ventura-Zelaya, all murdered on Long Island in 2016. Additionally, the 2017 murders included Angel Soler on Long Island and David Rivera in Maryland.

Prosecutors asserted that the three acknowledged their actions to elevate their status within the gang and to advance its agenda. MS-13, also referred to as Mara Salvatrucha, is thought to have originated as a neighborhood street gang in Los Angeles during the mid-1980s by individuals escaping civil turmoil in El Salvador.

“These defendants engaged in brutal and senseless violence to instill fear and establish control,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly in a joint announcement with other law enforcement officials regarding the pleas on Friday. “Today’s guilty pleas bring us closer to eradicating this violent gang presence from our communities.”

Attorneys for Sosa-Guevara refrained from commenting on Saturday, while responses from the other two men’s legal representatives were not immediately available.

Each member faces a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison as stipulated in their plea agreements, with Sosa-Guevara and Torres potentially facing up to 65 years, and Lopez-Morales up to 60 years, as per prosecutors.

Earlier this week, Jairo Saenz, a senior member of another MS-13 faction, also pleaded guilty to his involvement in seven murders, including the killings of Acosta and Castillo, as well as the deaths of two teenage girls that brought national attention to the gang’s violence.

By Philip Marcelo