By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-02 17:12:00 | Updated at 2024-10-03 23:28:04
1 day ago
An MS-13 gangster's moll dubbed 'Little Devil' has been sentenced to 50 years behind bars after she lured four men to their deaths in a Long Island park.
Leniz Escobar, 24, had 'willingly and enthusiastically' helped plan and execute the April 2017 massacre, US Judge Joseph Bianco said at sentencing on Tuesday.
Escobar, nicknamed 'Diablita' or 'Little Devil', was convicted in 2022 of one count of racketeering and four counts of murder in aid of racketeering.
She was 17 when she helped members of the violent MS-13 gang hack Michael Lopez, 20, Justin Llivicura, 16, Jorge Tigre, 18, and Jefferson Villalobos, 18 to deat with machetes in a Long Island park.
According to prosecutors, Escobar was 'personally offended' that one of the victims had worn items associated with the gang even though he wasn't a member.
Leniz Escobar, 24, had 'willingly and enthusiastically' helped plan and execute the April 2017 massacre
Michael Lopez Banega (left) and Jorge Tigre (right) were the other two victims killed by MS-13 members after allegedly being lured by Escobar
Justin Llivicura (left) and Jefferson Villalobos (right) were hacked to death in a Central Islip, New York, park in April 2017
Assistant US Attorney Megan Farrell said it was Escobar who brought photos of the man using their hand sign to the attention of the gang.
She then lured the four to a park in Central Islip under the false pretense of smoking marijuana where the gang members hacked the men to death with machetes.
After their brutal murders, Escobar is said to have bragged to other members of the gang about her role and told those involved what evidence to destroy.
Farrell commented: 'She was one of the most culpable people. Without her, these murders would have not occurred.'
Speaking in court, Escobar claimed that she was reminded every day of the pain that she had caused.
She said: 'Every breath reminds me that they are not here and their families are in pain. If I could trade places with them and take away that pain, I would.'
Despite her tears, parents and relatives of those who were murdered under her command were unmoved by her remarks.
The mother of Jorge Tigre, Bertha Ullaguari said: 'She does not deserve 50 or 60 years in prison. She deserves the death penalty.'
Tigre's younger brother Jason said his brother was a mentor to him and was looking forward to graduating and going to college before he was murdered.
The 17-year-old said: 'Now I'm all alone and I'm trying to be strong for him. This never should have happened, but it did because she did it. He should still be here.'
The mutilated bodies of the victims were discovered on April 13, 2017, in a Central Islip park. They were slaughtered with machetes, knives and tree limbs
The area of the Central Islip Recreational Center where the four boys were killed, with a fifth running away
Escobar's lawyer had argued for a sentence of no more than 32 years behind bars, saying her crime was been before she was 18.
Defense attorney Jesse Siegel also said she had endured violence, sexual abuse, exploitation and human trafficking.
'From the time of her birth until April 2017, she had lived a horrible, terrible life. The best years of her life have been the last seven years in custody', he said.
Prosecutors meanwhile had sought a much stiffer sentence of 65 years in prison, saying Escobar had maintained strong ties to MS-13 even after her arrest.
They said that she had even helped in coordinating the beating of another female gang associate for violating their code.
MS-13, also known as La Mara Salvatrucha, recruits young teenagers from El Salvador and Honduras, though many gang members were born in the U.S.
Prosecutors said that Escobar, seen here, had helped in coordinating the beating of another female gang associate for violating their code
Family and friends say goodbye to Justin Llivicura at his burial in a cemetery on April 19, 2017 in Coram, Long Island
MS-13, also known as La Mara Salvatrucha, recruits young teenagers from El Salvador and Honduras, though many gang members were born in the U.S.
Escobar's boyfriend Jeffrey Amador was a high-ranking member of the street gang, and she previously told him that he 'f***ed up' by letting of the victims escape.
Elmer Alexander Arteaga Ruiz had managed to make it out alive by running for his life. He testified against Escobar at trial.
Recalling the moment his friends were hacked to death, Ruiz told the court: 'They came through a hole in the fence.
'There were eight or nine. They covered their faces with sweaters. They came and formed a semi-circle.
'They told us get down on our knees. They said, 'Don't move. Whoever moves, dies'. Ruiz said he ran and was chased by two others.
He also told the court that him and his friends had made posts concerning MS-13 in a bid to impress women and that he and his friends 'were just high school kids'.
