Crime & Safety
MS-13 Gang Member Convicted In Gaithersburg Girl's Murder
An MS-13 gang member was found guilty in the murder of a teenage Gaithersburg girl whose body was found in Springfield, Virginia.
GAITHERSBURG, MD — The first of 10 suspects charged in the MS-13 gang-related killing of a Gaithersburg teenager in northern Virginia has been found guilty. The remains of 15-year-old Damaris Reyes Rivas were found near a Springfield, Virginia, industrial park in February.
A judge in Fairfax County found Wilmer Sanchez Serrano, 21, guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder, abduction and gang participation in the stabbing of the Maryland girl. Jurors recommended he be sentenced to 33 years in prison. His sentencing is in March. He faces deportation after he has served his prison time, according to WTOP.
Sanchez-Serrano admitted in court Monday to stabbing the girl, but said other gang members made him. During his trial, jurors and family members watched disturbing cell phone footage of Reyes Rivas being taunted and stabbed, NBC Washington reports.
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The girl had been missing since December, and she had previously told her mother gang members were threatening her. Investigators believe Reyes Rivas was killed in retaliation for the gang-related murder of Christian Sosa Rivas, 21, whose body was found in Dumfries. Court documents show Reyes Rivas took blame for allegedly leading Sosa Rivas to his killers.
Among the 10 suspects charged in Reyes Rivas' death, three pleaded guilty last month. Cindy Blanco Hernandez, 19, pleaded guilty to two counts of abduction by force and the abduction of another young girl; Aldair Miranda Carcamo, 18, pleaded guilty to gang participation and two counts of abduction by force; and Emerson Fugon Lopez, 17, pleaded guilty to abduction in connection with Reyes Rivas' death and gang participation. All three will be sentenced in May 2018.
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Four others will face trials, including Sosa Rivas' girlfriend, Venus Romero Irahete, who is believed to be the ringleader in the killing of Reyes Rivas. Two juveniles have also been charged; one waived a preliminary hearing and will be tried as an adult, while the other is going to juvenile court.
Image via Fairfax County Police
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