Brentwood Schools Knew MS-13 Threatened Teen Before Killing: Mom

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — The mother of 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas filed a $110 million lawsuit against the Brentwood School District on Monday, more than a year after Cuevas and 15-year-old Nisa Mickens were beaten and stabbed to death allegedly at the hands of MS-13 street gang members.

Evelyn Rodriguez, Cuevas' mother, stated in the lawsuit that district workers and educators did nothing upon learning that the girl was being threatened. The bullying went on for two years before the teen was killed in September 2016, the lawsuit said.

MS-13 is blamed for 25 killings on Long Island since January 2016. Federal authorities have arrested more than a half-dozen alleged members in the killings of Cuevas and Mickens alone.

MS-13 was formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s by immigrants fleeing El Salvador's civil war. It is best known for brutal violence, including machete attacks and home invasions.

Three men and a 16-year-old were found slain on April 12 at Central Islip Recreation Village Park. Each suffered trauma from a sharp-edged instrument and were believed to have been victims of the vicious street gang.

Photo credit: Claudia Torrens/Associated Press