MS-13 GANG MEMBER BAGS LIFE SENTENCE FOR ASSASSINATING HIS ASSOCIATE

A Virginia man and MS-13 gang member killed an associate within his clique. Now, he will remain behind bars for life.

This month, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Jose Henry Hernandez-Garcia, a.k.a “Paciente,” 29, to life in federal prison for the brutal and stabbing death of Jacson Pineda-Chicas. After a two-week trial, Hernandez-Garcia was found guilty and convicted of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering conspiracies, committing murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to destroy and conceal evidence connected to La Mara Salvatrucha, a.k.a. M.S.-!3

On March 8, 2019, the leader of Los Ghettos Criminales Salvatruchas a.k.a “LGCS” or “Ghettos”, an MS-13 clique and co-defendant, Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa, a.k.a “Felon,” 33, called a meeting at his home in Landover Hills, Maryland. The main agenda of the meeting was to discuss the recent interactions of Pineda-Chicas with law enforcement officers. After false suspicion of the victim being an informant, Ortega-Ayala ordered his death.

According to Inside Nova, Hernandez-Garcia, Ordonez-Zometa, a second co-defendant Jose Rafael Ortega-Ayala, a.k.a “Impaciente,” 30, and other members of the clique fatally stabbed the victim over 100 times before dumping his body and setting it on fire at a secluded location in Stafford County, Virginia. Another member who attempted to defend Pineda-Chicas was assaulted.

The victim’s disfigured body was found off River Road four days later. Though authorities initially struggled to identify the body, a tip helped investigators after they released a photo of a distinctive tattoo on his arm.

On March 6, Ordonez-Zometa was sentenced to life in federal prison, while Ortega-Ayala awaits a mandatory life sentence on September 25, 2023.

“This case is also an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks,” stated U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland in a press release, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The MS-13 gang originated in Los Angeles and has become one of the most violent and notorious gangs in the U.S. They also have deep roots beyond the United States borders, especially in El Salvador.