**Five MS-13 Gang Members Convicted of String of Murders in Los Angeles**

A Los Angeles jury has convicted five members of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang for their involvement in a series of violent murders committed to enhance their status within the gang. The verdict, announced by the U.S. Justice Department on Monday, marks a significant win against MS-13’s criminal activities in the Los Angeles area.

According to the Justice Department, the victims were killed in brutal fashion—some were strangled, shot, stabbed with a machete, or beaten with a baseball bat. In particularly harrowing cases, the bodies were thrown off cliffs or down hills in the Angeles National Forest.

MS-13 has often been the focus of federal law enforcement efforts, including the Trump administration’s hardline approach to violent crime, which at times involved calls to designate the gang as a terrorist organization. The convictions follow a series of similar arrests and prosecutions targeting MS-13 members in other U.S. states.

“These convictions mark one of the most significant victories against MS-13’s Los Angeles network in decades,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. “I applaud the jury for their dedication and bravery in finding these individuals guilty of the brutal murders, extortion, and drug trafficking they have inflicted on our communities for years.”

During the nine-week trial, prosecutors presented compelling evidence that the MS-13 members targeted their victims between 2017 and 2019. Victims were selected for allegedly violating gang rules or for suspected affiliations with the rival 18th Street Gang.

One victim was stabbed and hacked to death after claiming to have a leadership role within MS-13. Another member, accused of being addicted to methamphetamine in violation of gang rules, was shot. In another grisly case, a suspected 18th Street Gang member was kidnapped by two teenage girls, then strangled, beaten with a baseball bat, stabbed with a hunting knife, and thrown off a cliff in the Angeles National Forest.

Other victims included a man shot in the back of the head in the Malibu hills after believing he would be smoking cannabis and drinking beer, an individual returning home from the gym who was mistaken for an 18th Street Gang member, and a homeless man targeted for having a tattoo believed to be linked to the rival gang.

“MS-13 is a violent, brutal gang that must be eliminated from the United States, and we will not stop until we succeed in our mission,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

All of the convicted individuals operated in the Los Angeles area and faced charges related to their involvement in multiple murders. Walter Chavez Larin, 26; Roberto Alejandro Corado Ortiz, 30; and Edwin Martinez, 28, were convicted of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)—a law specifically designed to combat organized crime.

Additionally, brothers Bryan Alexander Rosales Arias, 28, and Erick Eduardo Rosales Arias, 27, were found guilty of violent crimes in aid of racketeering and murder.

The convictions represent a critical blow to MS-13’s presence in Southern California and underscore ongoing efforts to dismantle violent gangs through coordinated law enforcement action.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/11/11/MS-13-murder-conviction/7051762905255/