Another MS-13 Gang Member Charged With Murder Of Jose Pena

BRENTWOOD, NY - Another alleged MS-13 gang member was charged on Wednesday for the murder of a teen whose skeletal remains were discovered in Brentwood last year, a spokesman from the U.S. attorney's office confirmed.

Jerlin Villalta, 21, was arrested by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force for the murder of 18-year-old Jose Pena-Hernandez, the U.S. attorney said.

During his arraignment Villalta, who lives in Brentwood but is originally from El Salvador, was held without bail by Judge Joseph F. Bianco. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Related:

• Police ID 13 Gang Members Charged In Seven Brentwood Murders
• More Than 30 MS-13 Gang Members Arrested For Brentwood Slayings: Police

Last March, gang members 19-year-old Elmer Alexander Lopez, of Central Islip, and 18-year-old German Cruz, of Brentwood, also known as "Bad Boy," were also charged with killing Pena, who also attended Brentwood High School, officials said.

Pena was killed on last June but whose remains were not recovered until October a few weeks after the murders of 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas and 15-year-old Nisa Mickens, prosecutors said.

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