Fourth MS-13 Gang Member Charged in Gaithersburg Teen's Murder

GAITHERSBURG, MD — A fourth person with ties to the El Salvadoran gang MS-13 operating in Montgomery County has been arrested for murder in the fatal stabbing of an 18-year-old man whose body was found in a Gaithersburg park, officials said, while a fifth suspect sought since July 2016 remains on the run.

Josue Fermin Caudra-Quintanilla, 18, of Hyattsville, was arrested Feb. 3, and has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Cristian Antonio Villagran Morales, 18, of Gaithersburg. Caudra-Quintanilla is being held without bond, according to Montgomery County Police.

Since July 2016, police have arrested four gang members and charged them with stabbing Villagran Morales more than 40 times after Vanesa Alvarado of Gaithersburg allegedly lured him to Malcolm King Park 1200 West Side Drive, by promising to have sex with him, police said.

At a July press conference, Capt. Darren Francke, director of the Major Crimes Division of the Montgomery County Police Department, said the victim was from New Jersey and was working as a landscaper in the area while he lived with some cousins. He was not a member of the local gang, Francke said, although his attackers mistakenly thought he belonged to a rival gang.

His senseless death came about after “he got involved with the wrong young lady,” Francke said. The gang decided to “assassinate” Villagran Morales.

“This young man was a hard-working young man, came down here for a job, really did nothing wrong, just made some poor decisions about the people that he was associating with,” Francke said.

Three suspects had previously been arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the murder of Villagran-Morales. There is a warrant for the arrest of an additional (fifth) suspect. The three suspects previously arrested:

• Juan Gutierrez-Vasquez, 16, of Queen Victoria Court in Gaithersburg (charged as an adult) – arrested on July 1, 2016
• Vanesa Alvarado, 19, of Lakeworth Drive in Gaithersburg – arrested on July 1, 2016
• Oscar Ernesto Delgado-Perez, 27, of an unconfirmed address – arrested on September 7, 2016

Detectives continue to search for the fifth suspect, Jose Coreas Ventura, also known as Josue Corea, 20, and ask that anyone with information call Police at 301-279-8000 (24/7 line). To be eligible for a reward, tipsters must call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Callers to Crime Solvers will remain anonymous.

Ventura should be considered armed and dangerous, authorities say. (See wanted poster.)

Gang Crime in Montgomery County

Montgomery County Police last summer discussed the problems of young illegal immigrants who are forced into gangs once they arrive in the area without families. Francke said family members have to monitor what young people are doing and who they spend time with, which is difficult in an age when social media makes hanging out easy.

Capt. Paul Liquorie, director of the department’s special investigations division, attributed a homicide increase to changes in geopolitical factors in Central America, which has generated an influx in unaccompanied minors making their way to the United States to earn money to send home. Those youths are not gang members, he said, but are more likely to be victims of gang violence.

The increased violence by gangs comes from questions of respect or retaliation for a perceived slight to a gang, police said.

Liquorie said there’s no way to keep an accurate count on the number of gang members in the county. The department has added two new gang investigators to tackle the problem.

Police said they didn’t know the suspects’ immigration status. They may have other identities and could flee to Florida or elsewhere to avoid arrest, police said.

Liquorie said the gang activities here — from the extortion of local business owners to gun sales or drug trafficking — all funnels money back to gang leaders in Central America.

Investigators ask that anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ventura, also known as Josue Corea, to call the Montgomery County Police Department at 301-279-8000. To be eligible for a $10,000 reward, tipsters must call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Callers to Crime Solvers will remain anonymous.

»Photo of murder suspect Josue Fermin Caudra-Quintanilla and wanted poster for Jose Coreas Ventura, also known as Josue Corea, courtesy of Montgomery County Police