MS-13 Members Convicted Of Murder Of Innocent West New York Man, 19, Other Gang-Related Crimes
Three ranking MS-13 members from El Salvador were convicted by federal jurors in Newark of the murder of an innocent 19-year-old dishwasher from West New York, among other charges stemming from their participation in the international gang.
It was one of many offenses that jurors agreed were committed by Juan Pablo “Humilde” Escalante-Melgar, 31, Elmer “Locote” Cruz-Diaz, 33, and Oscar “Snappy” Sanchez-Aguilar, 25 – among them, extortion, witness tampering, and drug trafficking.
Federal prosecutors told the jurors that Escalante-Melgar and Sanchez-Aguilar instructed an MS-13 member and an …
Alleged MS-13 Member Known As 'Shadow' Charged For Two More Long Island Murders
A Long Island alleged MS-13 gang member known as "Shadow" has been charged with more two new gang-related killings.
Raul Ponce, age 23, of Hempstead, pleaded not guilty to the new charges on Thursday, Nov. 11, bringing the total number of murder charges he is facing to four.
Following his plea in court, Det. Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick, commander of the Nassau County Police Department's homicide squad, said at a news conference that Ponce had always been "on the radar," for the killings that took place a couple of years ago.
The El Salvador native has been in prison on Long Island since 2018, …
MS-13 Member Sentenced In Two Murders In Nassau County, DA Says
An MS-13 member was sentenced for helping plan and participating in two murders on Long Island.
Kevin Lopez-Morales, age 23, of Roosevelt, was sentenced on Tuesday, Aug. 31, to 24 years to life in prison, Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith announced.
Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder on Sept. 9, 2019.
"Kevin Lopez-Morales and his co-defendants acted as friends to two young men but lured them to their deaths over perceived slights to MS-13,” Smith said. “MS-13 has left behind many grieving families on Long Island, but their attempts…