Four Arrested in Gang-Related Killings on Long Island, Court Documents Say
Four people have been arrested in the killings of four young Latino men on Long Island on the night of April 11, according to federal court documents that were unsealed on Monday.
The documents contend that the suspects committed murder to gain entrance into the transnational gang known as MS-13, or to maintain their status in that organization. The gang, with roots in Los Angeles and El Salvador, has spread terror in immigrant communities throughout the United States.
Three adults were charged by federal authorities in the murders: Alexis Hernandez, Santos Leonel Ortiz-Flores and Omar Antonio Villalta. A fourth suspect, a juvenile, was arrested but not named.
Two of the four young men killed had fled the gangs in their native Honduras to find safety with their parents in the United States: Michael Lopez Banegas, 20, who lived in Brentwood, N.Y., and his cousin, Jefferson Villalobos, 18, who was visiting from Pompano Beach, Fla. The two others who were killed lived in Patchogue, N.Y.: Justin Llivicura, 16, was the son of immigrants and Jorge Tigre, 18, came to the United States as a child.
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The young men were discovered in the woods behind a municipal park in Central Islip. Their bodies were slashed by machete, the signature weapon of MS-13.According to the father of Michael Lopez, his son, his nephew, and Michael’s two acquaintances from Patchogue went to hang out that Tuesday night of spring vacation. Their bodies were found the next day.
When reached by phone on Monday, Marcelo Llivicura, the father of Justin, said that the arrests brought the horror back. “It’s like opening a wound again,” Mr. Llivicura said in Spanish. “There’s nothing we can do, my son is gone. I hope that they pay their debts. They took the lives of these young boys just at the beginning of their own lives.”
On Monday in Central Islip federal court, all three adult defendants pleaded not guilty.
A spokesman for the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment beyond referring to the court documents. The Suffolk County Police Department also declined to comment.
Since Jan. 1, 2016, there have been 17 murders attributed to MS-13 in Suffolk County, the police said, including the deaths of two high school girls, Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, in Brentwood in September.
The indictments unsealed on Monday were part of an expanding effort to charge MS-13 gang members under the federal act for racketeering and organized crime. In March, 13 gang members were arrested, and on Monday another eight were added to the indictment, including the three adults charged in the murders of the young men on April 11.
The murders have attracted the attention of Jeff Sessions, the attorney general of the United States, who visited Central Islip less than two weeks after the April murders to declare war on MS-13, known in Spanish as La Mara Salvatrucha. He said illegal immigration had contributed to the gang’s growth. His comments drew protests from immigrant activists, who were concerned that his statement could fuel a backlash against the Latino community.
Francis Villalobos, the father of Jefferson, said that he was called by an F.B.I. agent on Monday afternoon. “He said, ‘they have them,’” Mr. Villalobos said, but added that he thought the authorities were not finished. “I think there are more,” Mr. Villalobos said.
The documents contend that the suspects committed murder to gain entrance into the transnational gang known as MS-13, or to maintain their status in that organization. The gang, with roots in Los Angeles and El Salvador, has spread terror in immigrant communities throughout the United States.
Three adults were charged by federal authorities in the murders: Alexis Hernandez, Santos Leonel Ortiz-Flores and Omar Antonio Villalta. A fourth suspect, a juvenile, was arrested but not named.
Two of the four young men killed had fled the gangs in their native Honduras to find safety with their parents in the United States: Michael Lopez Banegas, 20, who lived in Brentwood, N.Y., and his cousin, Jefferson Villalobos, 18, who was visiting from Pompano Beach, Fla. The two others who were killed lived in Patchogue, N.Y.: Justin Llivicura, 16, was the son of immigrants and Jorge Tigre, 18, came to the United States as a child.
Continue reading the main story
The young men were discovered in the woods behind a municipal park in Central Islip. Their bodies were slashed by machete, the signature weapon of MS-13.According to the father of Michael Lopez, his son, his nephew, and Michael’s two acquaintances from Patchogue went to hang out that Tuesday night of spring vacation. Their bodies were found the next day.
When reached by phone on Monday, Marcelo Llivicura, the father of Justin, said that the arrests brought the horror back. “It’s like opening a wound again,” Mr. Llivicura said in Spanish. “There’s nothing we can do, my son is gone. I hope that they pay their debts. They took the lives of these young boys just at the beginning of their own lives.”
On Monday in Central Islip federal court, all three adult defendants pleaded not guilty.
A spokesman for the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment beyond referring to the court documents. The Suffolk County Police Department also declined to comment.
Since Jan. 1, 2016, there have been 17 murders attributed to MS-13 in Suffolk County, the police said, including the deaths of two high school girls, Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, in Brentwood in September.
The indictments unsealed on Monday were part of an expanding effort to charge MS-13 gang members under the federal act for racketeering and organized crime. In March, 13 gang members were arrested, and on Monday another eight were added to the indictment, including the three adults charged in the murders of the young men on April 11.
The murders have attracted the attention of Jeff Sessions, the attorney general of the United States, who visited Central Islip less than two weeks after the April murders to declare war on MS-13, known in Spanish as La Mara Salvatrucha. He said illegal immigration had contributed to the gang’s growth. His comments drew protests from immigrant activists, who were concerned that his statement could fuel a backlash against the Latino community.
Francis Villalobos, the father of Jefferson, said that he was called by an F.B.I. agent on Monday afternoon. “He said, ‘they have them,’” Mr. Villalobos said, but added that he thought the authorities were not finished. “I think there are more,” Mr. Villalobos said.
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