A court found an alleged MS-13 gang member guilty this week of stabbing a Maryland teen in the neck, apparently killing her.
Wilmer Sanchez-Serrano, 22, of Virginia, was found guilty in the slaying of 15-year-old Damaris Reyes Rivas, WTOP reported. A Fairfax County jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, abduction, and gang participation.
Several videos were shot of the girl’s final minutes alive, and they were a central piece of evidence in the murder trial, according to the Washington Post, which described the scene:
“She was in snow-dusted woods in Springfield on a brilliant January day, surrounded by taunting associates of MS-13. One ominously clicked a cigar cutter while the girl was told in Spanish that she might lose a finger. They warned Damaris that they had a rifle and gas.
They shouted at her, demanding information about her role in the slaying of their clique leader, Christian Sosa Rivas, who was set up and killed with machetes, tree limbs and rocks in Prince William County about a week earlier. They blamed Damaris for luring him to his death.”
Damaris had been lured to a Lake Accotink Park in Springfield, Virginia, on Jan. 8, and there she was met by Sanchez Serrano and nine other alleged MS-13 members.
Prosecutors alleged that the gang members kicked and beat her about the killing of Sosa Rivas.
In the final of three videos played in court, Sanchez-Serrano can be seen stabbing a tree limb into the neck of a still-breathing Reyes Rivas, Fairfax County State’s Attorney Ray Morrogh testified.
Gang killers recorded a teen’s final moments. The video helped convict one of them. https://t.co/UNQvS24AfS Damaris A. Reyes Rivas,15
— anne hillebrand (@annehillebrand2) November 15, 2017
Damaris Alexandra Reyes Rivas pictures,murdered by Wilmer Sanchez Serrano https://t.co/eWpdYIvOtg pic.twitter.com/EJnoz6ZlJv
— infowe (@infowe) November 15, 2017
“If I did that, it’s because they made me,” Sanchez-Serrano said, denying his guilt in her murder.
Three other defendants in the case were convicted last month. More are slated to stand trial.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer on Sanchez-Serrano, but he won’t be deported until he has served his prison time.
VA 16 y-o police say abducted last month by man linked to MS-13 is #missing again More now #fblive -> https://t.co/Qsr3UBg56q @MissingKids pic.twitter.com/W7cUJqMNJZ
— Angie (@OhMyGOFF) November 5, 2017
The jury recommended that Sanchez-Serrano be sentenced to 33 years in prison, but he could face as many as 60 years behind bars. His sentencing set for March.
From The Epoch Times
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