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.
Charity Group Begs Trump for a ‘Christmas Miracle’ After USPS Rejects Hundreds of Care Packages Meant for Overseas Troops
Watch: Trump Drives a Stake Through the Heart of Fake News That He’s Ticked at Hegseth and Noem
Moderate Republicans buck leadership with bid to force vote on Obamacare subsidies as premium cliff looms
Burgum calls California a ‘national security risk’ as Energy chief warns blue states are skewing cost averages
Walz says he would ‘welcome more’ Somalis as fraud investigation intensifies
New Polling Puts Trump in Landslide Lead When It Comes to the Economy, Defying Democrats’ Biggest Mid-Term Narrative
Missing Virginia coach Travis Turner fuels tense school board meeting as judge seals case records: report
Trump tells Mexico to fix cross-border sewage problem flowing into US communities ‘IMMEDIATELY’
It Appears Jasmine Crockett Just Fell for a Trap Set by the Republican Senatorial Committee
Florida man allegedly crashes stolen BMW, gives bizarre explanation to deputies: ‘I teleported’
‘He had years to stop this’: GOP lawmakers blast Walz over massive Minnesota fraud scheme
The most googled people in US for 2025
Judge Boasberg seeks testimony from DOJ ‘whistleblower’ in criminal contempt inquiry
Late Breaking Video: Trump Announces Jerome Powell May Not Actually Be Fed Chair Since He Was Appointed Via Biden’s Autopen
US Chamber of Commerce accused of leading ‘woke corporate America’ as Trump dismantles DEI agenda
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.
