MS-13 Spreads Its Brand of Violence in US

Estimated 10,000 members in US live by motto ‘kill, rape, control’

(L-R) Robert Mickens, Elizabeth Alvarado, Evelyn Rodriguez, and Freddy Cuevas are recognized during the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Nicholas Kamm Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images

Transnational gang MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, has gained notoriety in the United States for its penchant for brutal slayings.

In a recent Maryland case, MS-13 gang members were charged with stabbing a victim more than 100 times, decapitating and dismembering him, and ripping his heart out before throwing him into a grave in Wheaton Regional Park, according to court documents.