ALEXANDRIA, Va. (18 NEWS) - 11 members and associates of MS-13 were indicted Friday in connection with the murder of two Virginia teenagers.
The indictment alleges that in August of 2016, Elmer Zelaya Martinez, Erick Palacios Ruiz, Ronald Herrera Contreras, and Josue Vigil Mejia conspired with others to lure a 17-year-old they suspected to be in a rival gang to a park in Fairfax County to attack and kill him. After killing him, the defendants and their co-conspirators are alleged to have buried the teenager's remains.
The U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Virginia that, in September of the same year, ten defendants conspired with others to lure a 14-year-old to the same park where he was attacked and killed because the defendants and their co-conspirators believed him to be cooperating with law enforcement. The younger teenager's remains were also buried.
If convicted, each of the defendants will face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
