A 17-year-old MS-13 gang member will serve 50 years in prison for his involvement in the murder of a 14-year-old girl in Maryland last April.
Josue Fuentes-Ponce pleaded guilty on Oct. 30 to charges of first-degree murder, participating in the crime as part of a criminal gang, and conspiracy to commit murder, according to NBC Washington.
Prosecutors said gang members lured Ariana Funes-Diaz into a tunnel in Riverdale, Md., where they beat her to death with a machete and baseball bat on April 18, the outlet reported.
“These individuals had demonstrated violent criminal behavior before, and because they were released in spite of the lawful detainer, they were afforded an opportunity to take a life.” ICE Baltimore Field Office Director Diane Witte previously said in the statement, according to Fox News.
Investigators say Fuentes-Ponce and three other gang members attack the victim to prevent her from informing police about a robbery they had taken part in a day prior.
As Trump’s popularity plummets, House Democratic target emerges in red Indiana
California voter ID ballot measure could be rare GOP statewide win
How the midterm elections will set Democrats up for 2028 success or failure
The Big Bad Guy Behind Unaffordable Housing Almost No One Names: Zoning Laws
Donalds rips opponent’s ‘complete 180’ as Dem’s own 2016 words come back to haunt him in tightening gov race
WATCH: Mike Lee explodes on voting error that ‘keeps happening’ as huge number of noncitizens found on rolls
UMass Dartmouth football murder suspect overstayed tourist visa, received deferred action: federal sources
Pittsburgh doctor stabbed to death after intruder allegedly attacks him, wife as they slept: police
New Jersey Gov Mikie Sherrill calls on lieutenant governor to resign after sexual harassment investigation
FBI says source of its jobs portal breach still unknown as hackers allege employee data compromised
Mamdani-backed socialist arrested at anti-Netanyahu protest outside UN
Michigan nurse accused of breaking bones and bruising premature infant at children’s hospital
Xi can’t escape protesters’ cries at deafening dinner demonstration
College Basketball Coach-Turned ESPN Personality Dies at 47
Watch: Xi Descends Into Laughter as Trump Shows off ‘President Autopen’ Picture in Place of Joe Biden’s Portrait
Fuentes-Ponce reportedly used a machete during the attack that was so violent, police needed to use a tattoo on her right hand to identify her body, according to NBC Washington.
Her family reported her missing before she was found floating in a creek last May — nearly a month after she was killed — the outlet said.
Co-defendant Joel Escobar pleaded guilty in November and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 26. A separate trial is scheduled for co-defendant Edwin Rios, 19 in April. The attorney for Feuntes-Ponce asked for leniency, according to the Washington Post, and said at the time of the incident, he had a cognitive level of a 9-year-old.
The charges against the final member, a 14-year-old girl, were handled in juvenile court, the outlet said.
Story cited here.
