MS-13 member pleads guilty in Long Island murder case
MS-13 gang leader Jairo Saenz, known as “Fanny,” was found guilty of seven murders on Long Island, including the brutal killings of Brentwood High School students Neesa Mickens and Kayla Cuevas. I admitted it.
long island – A leader of New York’s MS-13 faction faces racketeering and other federal charges Tuesday in a case involving seven killings, including the 2016 killings of two high school girls that drew national attention to the violent streets of Central America. pled guilty. gang.
The brutal influence of gangs on Long Island
What we know:
Jairo Saenz, 28, also known by the nickname “Fanny,” entered the guilty plea in federal court in Central Islip. He admitted to participating in seven murders, including the brutal 2016 slayings of Brentwood High School students Nisa Mickens and Kayla Cuevas with a machete and baseball bat.
Saenz was sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison under a plea agreement, and sentencing is scheduled for June 13.
On June 7, 2017, in Brentwood, New York, a reward poster asking for help finding the killers of Neesa Mickens and Kyle Cuevas is posted on a telephone pole near a local high school. The town of Brentwood on New York’s Long Island may seem like an oasis.
Saenz, a native of El Salvador, was the second-in-command of Sailors Locos Salvatorchas Westside, an MS-13 unit operating in Brentwood and Central Islip. His brother and sect leader Alexi Saenz has also pleaded guilty to similar charges and is awaiting sentencing.
Back story:
MS-13 is a notoriously violent Central American gang that has been implicated in dozens of murders on Long Island over the past decade.
Prosecutors allege that the Saenz brothers ordered and authorized the killings of rivals and others in order to gain power within the gang hierarchy and enhance their gang’s reputation. The victims ranged from teenagers to adults, and guns, machetes and baseball bats were used in the killings.
Brentwood, New York – March 29: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) ICE agents arrest a suspected MS-13 gang member and Honduran immigrant at his home in Brentwood, New York on March 29, 2018. Investigators are cracking down hard. Federal agriculture overnight until morning
Other victims included Javier Castillo, 15, who was lured to a park and killed with a machete, and Dewan Stacks, 34, who was bludgeoned to death as he walked along a road in Brentwood. . Saenz also pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder, arson, drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
Family disappointed with plea deal
What they are saying:
Victims’ families expressed mixed feelings about the plea deal.
“It was some kind of justice, but it wasn’t what I wanted,” said George Johnson, father of Michael Johnson, 29, who was bludgeoned and stabbed to death in Brentwood in 2016. spoke. hurt someone else. ”
Elizabeth Alvarado lamented a similar experience she experienced in September 2016 when her daughter, Neesa Mickens, was just one day shy of her 16th birthday.
“It really hurt because she had so many dreams,” her mother said outside court. “She wanted to be a veterinarian. She wanted to be a nurse like me and her father. There are so many things that I lack.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Carolyn Pokorny said in a statement that Saenz participated in “multiple brutal and senseless acts of mass violence that turned parts of Long Island into a war zone” and that members of the MS-13 gang “Branding around guns, machetes, bats, guns and ‘fires’ in their reign of terror.
“It is my sincere hope that today’s guilty plea brings some comfort and closure to the families of the defendant’s victims as they continue to grieve the loss of their loved ones,” she added.
Big picture:
The incident garnered national attention, with former President Donald Trump highlighting gang violence as a result of immigration policies. President Trump called for the death penalty for Saenz and others involved while he was president.
The Saenz brothers’ conviction is part of a broader effort to dismantle MS-13’s influence on Long Island.
What’s next:
Saenz is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13, and his brother, Alexi Saenz, is also scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
source: This article uses information from The Associated Press.
