MS-13 gang member, who was only 15-year-old when he murdered four people, including three teens, in New York in 2017, gets a 50-year jail sentence
- Freiry Martínez, 18, was sentenced by a New York federal court Monday to 50 years in jail for the killing of four young men in April 2017
- Martínez, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, pleaded guilty to racketeering, including predicate racketeering acts relating to the murders
- He admitted to his role in the machete attack that killed Justin Llivicura, 16; Jorge Tigre, 18; Michael Lopez Banegas, 20; and Jefferson Villalobos, 18
- A fifth young man escaped alive after he and the rest of the group were led to a park in Long Island by two female members of the MS-13
An 18-year-old member of the MS-13 was hit with a 50-year jail sentence Monday by a New York federal court judge for his role in the assassination of four young men two years ago.
Freiry Martínez – a 15-year-old undocumented migrant from El Salvador – participated in the April 11, 2017 massacre of 16-year-old Justin Llivicura, 18-year-old Jorge Tigre, and 20-year-old Michael Lopez Banegas, all of whom were Long Island residents; and 18-year-old Jefferson Villalobos, who was in town visiting from Florida.
Federal prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York said two female gang members led the victims and another man to smoke marijuana in Central Islip park.
Martínez, a native of El Salvador, and other MS-13 members attacked and killed the victims.
Justin Llivicura was one of four young men massacred by MS-13 gang members in Long Island, New York, in April 2017
Prosecutors with the Eastern District of New York said Jefferson Villalobos and four other males where led to a park in Long Island by two female MS-13 members who promised the group that they were going to smoke marijuana before they were beaten with sharp knives. on April 11, 2017. Villalobos and three of his companions were found dead a day later
The U.S. attorneys believed the victims were alleged members of a local rival gang who were at odds with the MS-13.
The five young men were taken to a wooded and were surrounded and beaten by the machete-wielding gang members who also used knives, wooden clubs and an axe.
A fifth victim managed to escape alive and the bodies of the other four victims were located the next day.
Jorge Tigre (left), Michael Banegas (right) and two other young men found dead following an April 2017 savage MS-13 attack in Long Island, New York. On Monday, a federal court judge sentenced Freiry Martínez, one of the attackers, to 50 years in jail
Martínez would flee to Virginia and later Maryland, and ‘kept his involvement by associating with MS-13 members from those areas, engaging in street-level drug sales, assaulting rival gang members, and participating in the armed robberies of check-cashing establishments.’
The Salvadoran teen, who was also known as ‘Discreto’ and ‘Sovietico,’ was arrested in Maryland on November 21, 2017.
During the trial, Martínez admitted he ‘hit someone repeatedly … Justin Llivicura.’
Martínez pleaded guilty to racketeering, including predicate racketeering acts relating to the murders of Llivicura, Lopez, Tigre and Villalobos.
In June, the mastermind of the attack, Josue Portillo, who was also 15 at the time, was sentenced to 55 years in prison.
‘Today’s sentence of defendant Freiry Martínez is a clear example of law enforcement inter-agency cooperation and how there are no boundaries in criminal activity,’ said Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder.
‘Our partnerships continue to combat crime as we maintain our zero tolerance approach toward gangs and their illegal activities to ensure safety for our residents and communities.’