A Colorado MS-13 gang member who murdered two people and attempted to kill another will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
An 18th Judicial District judge handed Mauricio Alvarado-Vasquez, 31, a life term in prison without the possibility of parole for the stabbing death of Vicky DeDios, 46, and the shooting death of Carlos Ramirez-Rivera. After a four-week trial, Alvarado-Vasquez was found guilty and convicted by a jury of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
On Sept. 8, 2019, authorities responded to reports of a burning blue vehicle along Interstate 225. Upon arrival, they found DeDios’ body on the vehicle's floor. Aurora Police determined the victim had been stabbed about 20 times. Later, investigators discovered MS-13 gang members lured her from a bar and rendered her unconscious before taking her to another location where she was fatally stabbed. Then, Alvarado-Vasquez and a co-defendant, David Tobias-Carbajal, dumped DeDios’ body along the interstate.
Two months after DeDios’s demise, authorities responded to a crash site in Glendale, where they discovered the body of Ramirez-Rivera in a vehicle with multiple gunshots to his upper torso. Later, authorities linked the defendant to the homicide. They established Ramirez-Rivera left a bar around 3 a.m. and was followed.
Two days after Ramirez-Rivera’s demise, investigators also linked Alvaros-Vasquez to a shooting in an apartment block on South Ironton Street where six innocent victims were injured. They discovered the defendant conspired with other co-defendants to kill another rival gang member via social media platforms.
Investigators established the motive for both murders because the victims were considered involved with rival gangs.
"This is one of the most violent and brutal gangs I have come across in my career as a prosecutor. I cannot stress enough how grateful I am to the state and federal law enforcement team that dedicated years to bringing these defendants to justice. Their efforts prevented this transnational criminal gang from gaining a foothold in our community," said District Attorney John Kellner, according to CBS News.
Tobias-Carbajal was also convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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