MS-13 Gang Members Charged with Murders Near Washington, DC

MS-13 Gang Members Charged with Murders Near Washington, DC

HOUSTON, Texas — Thirteen members of the MS-13 gang have been charged with three murders and one attempted murder in Virginia, not far from Washington, DC. 

The gang members are each facing nine counts in connection with the crimes, according to the Washington Post. The crimes — committed between October 2013 and June 2014 — were allegedly committed as an effort to become “official” members of the MS-13 gang, a group notorious for being hyper-violent. 

The attempted murder was reportedly a failed assassination that took place at a high school in Fairfax County. The victim was a fellow MS-13 gang member who had become difficult to control.

Other crimes, some of which took place in Alexandria, Virgina, included planning murders to aid racketeering and firearms violations. According to the Post, Nelson Omar Quintinilla, Gerson Adoni Martinez Aguilar, and Julio Caesar Urrutia-Erazo are all thought to have been killed by MS-13 members in Northern Virginia. 

Although the MS-13 gang originated in Los Angeles, its members are now scattered throughout the country. 

Earlier this year, Breitbart Texas reported on one such gang member who was in the United States illegally. The individual was an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. Previous to his most recent arrest, he had apparently entered the U.S. illegally twice before. The gang member’s affiliation with MS-13 was revealed after authorities noticed his tattoos. 

Sergeant Springer of the Seguin Police Department–where officers deal with gang members on a regular basis–told Breitbar Texas, “Tattoos tell gang members’ stories, what their job is, and which gang they belong to. Most people who join these gangs do it because it gives them something to belong to. Gangs will deal with anything that is illegal.”

Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.

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