MS-13 Gang Members Sentenced for Carving Out Victim’s Heart
Four MS-13 gang members were convicted Thursday for three 2017 murders in Southern California, including one where the victim's heart was carved out and his body dumped in a canyon.
The convictions were handed down Thursday against Angel Amadeo Guzman, 31, of Panorama City; Fernando Garcia Parada, 28, of Panorama City; Edgard Velasquez, 43, of Reseda; and Jose Jonathan Castillo, 34, of Koreatown, according to New York Post.
All four men were convicted on charges of racketeering conspiracy and violent crimes in aid of racketeering, including murder. They remain in federal custody and face mandatory life sentences.
Gang Rules Demand Extreme Violence
Federal prosecutors outlined how the killings were executed in accordance with MS-13’s internal code, which requires extreme violence and murder as a pathway for members seeking advancement within the criminal organization.
The gang operates through localized cells known as cliques, including the Fulton clique in the San Fernando Valley and the Francis clique around MacArthur Park. MS-13 finances its operations through drug trafficking, extortion, robbery, and other criminal enterprises.
Three Murders in Four Months
Between March and June 2017, the defendants participated in three separate killings in and around Angeles National Forest, prosecutors said.
The first murder took place in March 2017 after a victim was accused of defacing rival gang graffiti. Velasquez authorized the killing, while Guzman, Garcia Parada, and accomplices abducted the victim, strangled him unconscious, and transported him into the forest. There, the group attacked him with machetes before dismembering his body, removing his heart, and disposing of the remains in a canyon.
In April 2017, Guzman and co-conspirators targeted another man who had fled El Salvador without permission while under investigation by MS-13 for allegedly cooperating with law enforcement. Gang members created a fake Facebook account posing as a teenage girl to lure him to the forest, where he was murdered.
The third killing occurred in June 2017 when Castillo, Garcia Parada, and others killed an MS-13 associate accused of exaggerating his rank within the gang. He was taken to the forest and stabbed and hacked to death.
More Than 30 Convictions Secured
US District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. has scheduled sentencing for October 20. Each defendant faces a mandatory life sentence in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors confirmed the case has resulted in more than 30 convictions overall. In November, five additional MS-13 members were convicted in related murders tied to efforts to gain rank within the gang, with sentencing expected in the coming months.
With information from New York Post
