Police Charge 12 In Connection With 4 Killings In Prince William

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — The Prince William County Police Department, together with the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force and the FBI, charged 12 suspected gang members with more than 50 charges in connection with drug trafficking and the killing of four men in Prince William County in 2019, the police department announced Tuesday.

The charges, obtained last Thursday, range from second-degree murder and conspiracy to accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence. In addition to charges directly connected to the deaths of four people, detectives also obtained an additional 80 charges linking the suspects and other people to gang participation, drug distribution, and weapons-related offenses for their involvement in the drug trafficking, according to the Prince William County police.

All suspects were members of or connected to the Sitios Locos Salvatruchas group of Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, the police department said. The court dates for the suspects arrested during the operation are pending.

Several of the people arrested were charged in connection with the deaths of Milton Beltran Lopez, 40, and Jairo Geremeas Mayorga, 39, both of Woodbridge, in June 2019. One suspect was identified in the investigation and was charged with murder in November 2019. Two other suspects were also charged with offenses connected to the deaths earlier this year, the police said.

Arrests also were made in the deaths of Eric Lanier Tate II, 25, who was shot and killed in the area of Bel Air Road and Jeffries Road in Woodbridge on Aug. 29, 2019, and Antonio Kaoul Smith, 37, which occurred in the 3100 block of Chesapeake Drive in Dumfries on Sept. 24, 2019.

"Moving forward, we will work with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office to ensure those responsible for these deaths are held accountable for their actions," Jarad Phelps, acting chief of police for Prince William County, said Tuesday in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all four victims as they continue to heal.”

Following the two deaths in Woodbridge in June 2019, Prince William detectives sought the assistance of the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force and the FBI Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force-Northern Virginia. The agencies were able to connect the gang members to large-scale drug trafficking in the region, the police said.

During the investigation, the police agencies were able to build a case in the drug trafficking element, which involved cocaine being transported from the New York area to Prince William County where it was then sold during street-level transactions. The suspects allegedly used the trafficking as a primary source of income for their group, according to the police.

"To further the suspect’s standing within MS-13 itself, victims were targeted at random and murdered, posing a significant safety concern in this community," the Prince William County police said Tuesday. "These victims included Mayorga, Tate and Smith as no other connection between the suspects or criminal activity was identified during the investigation."

Of the 12 suspects charged in connection with the murders, the identity of two suspects previously charged in the double homicide are now being released; four suspects were already incarcerated and were served with additional charges; three suspects were located locally; and two suspects were located in New York, according to the police department. One suspect remains wanted and is believed to be in El Salvador, the police said.

“This joint investigation is the culmination of many man-hours of hard work to remove violent gang members from the streets of Northern Virginia,” said Jay Lanham, director of the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force. “The men and women involved in this investigation are dedicated to eradicating gang crime throughout the region.”

Here is the list of suspects charged by the Prince William County police in connection with the murder investigations.

• Abner Jose Molina Rodriquez, 23, of no fixed address (already jailed). Charged with 2 counts of second-degree murder, 2 counts of conspiracy to commit murder, and 2 counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
• Mario Antonio Guevera Rivera, 25, of Woodbridge. Charged with 3 counts of second-degree murder, 1 count of principal second-degree murder, 4 counts of conspiracy to commit murder, 3 counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony, 9 counts of distribution of a schedule I or II narcotic, 2 counts of conspiracy to violate Drug Control Act, 6 counts of gang participation, 3 counts of possession of a firearm while in possession of certain substances, and 4 counts of transporting controlled substances into the state.
• Cristian Ariel Arevalo Arias, 24, of no fixed address (already jailed). Charged with 3 counts of second-degree murder, 3 counts of conspiracy to commit murder, and 3 counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
• Carlos Jose Turcios Villatoro, 22, of no fixed address (already jailed). Charged with 2 counts of second-degree murder, 2 counts of conspiracy to commit murder, 2 counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and 1 count of concealing and compounding offenses.
• Melvin Canales Saldana, 27, of no fixed address (already jailed). Charged with 3 counts of conspiracy to commit murder. Previously charged in May 2020 with 3 counts of distribution of a schedule I or II narcotic, 2 counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and 2 counts of transporting controlled substances into the state.
• Marvin Menjivar Gutierrez, 28, of Manorville, New York. Charged with 1 count of principal second-degree murder, 1 count of conspiracy to commit murder, 5 counts of distribution of a schedule I or II narcotic, 5 counts of conspiracy to violate Drug Control Act, 5 counts of gang participation, and 4 counts of transporting controlled substances into the state.
• Jairo Gustavo Aguilera Sagistizado, 25, of Hicksville, New York. Charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
• Manilester Andrade Rivas, 31, of Woodbridge. Charged with 1 count of second-degree murder, 1 count of conspiracy to commit murder, 1 count of use of a firearm in commission of a felony, 4 counts of distribution of a schedule I or II narcotic, 4 counts of conspiracy to violate Drug Control Act, and 4 counts of gang participation.
• Wilmer Candelar Cabrera Rivera, 32, of El Salvador, wanted. Charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
• Keyly Yamileth Guzman, 25, of Stafford. Charged with 1 count of accessory after the fact, 1 count of concealing & compounding offenses, 6 counts of distribution of a schedule I or II narcotic, 5 counts of conspiracy to violate Drug Control Act, 4 counts of transporting controlled substances into the state, 5 counts of gang participation, and 1 count of possession of a firearm while in possession of certain substances.
• Gerardo Reyes Serrano Molina, 25, of Dumfries. Previously charged in May with 2 counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
• Juan Manuel Vasquez Reyes, 38, of Manassas. Previously charged in February 2020 with concealing and compounding offenses.

Here is a list of the suspects charged in connection to only the drug trafficking:

• Karen Estefan Figueroa Alfaro, 28, of Woodbridge. Charged with 2 counts of distribution of a schedule I or II narcotic, 3 count of conspiracy to violate Drug Control Act, and 2 counts of gang participation.
• Juan Carlos Hernandez Landaverde, 21, of Annandale. Wanted. Charged with distribution of a schedule I or II narcotic, conspiracy to violate Drug Control Act, and gang participation.
• Walter Jeovanny Rubio Lemus, 26, of Woodbridge. Charged with distribution of a schedule I or II narcotic, conspiracy to violate Drug Control Act, and gang participation.
• Nathanlie Marie Williams, 24, of Manassas. Charged with distribution of a schedule I or II narcotic, conspiracy to violate Drug Control Act, and gang participation.