by Los Angeles, CA — Prosecutors told a federal jury this week that MS-13 gang members lured victims to remote mountain locations north of Los Angeles and murdered them as part of grisly initiation rituals designed to test loyalty and earn status within the gang.
Alleged Killings in the Wilderness
Between 2017 and 2019, gang members allegedly murdered four people in the wilderness outside Los Angeles, according to Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall. The five defendants on trial are also accused of committing two additional killings in Van Nuys and North Hollywood.
“The more ruthless the killing, the greater the respect that was earned,” Siddall told jurors.
Gang Background and Initiation Practices
Founded four decades ago in Los Angeles by Salvadoran immigrants, MS-13 has expanded into a transnational criminal organization, partly led by figures imprisoned in Central America.
Prosecutors say that starting around 2016, an influx of gang members from El Salvador brought strict rules requiring new recruits to commit murder to achieve full gang membership, known as becoming a “homeboy.”
Victims and Methods
Prosecutors detailed some of the violent acts:
- Elvin “Winnie Pooh” Hernandez, 20, was stabbed by 11 gang members near a secluded helipad in the Angeles National Forest after being accused of falsely claiming gang membership.
- Brayan Andino, 16, a Panorama High School student from Honduras, was killed at Lopez Canyon above Sylmar with a garrote, baseball bat, and serrated knife after being lured under the pretense of smoking marijuana.
- Roger Chavez, 19, was shot in Malibu mountains in 2018 after posting a rival gang’s hand sign on Snapchat.
- Osvaldo Hernandez, 22, was fatally shot near his apartment in Van Nuys, and two more victims, including a homeless man, were killed in separate incidents.
Siddall noted, “His major sin was he was sleeping in their park. Their park. As if they own it.”
Defense and Jury Deliberation
Defense attorneys argued the case relied heavily on testimony from eight cooperating witnesses, some of whom admitted to multiple murders in exchange for lighter sentences. They described defendants as “child soldiers” raised in extreme violence and said they acted under orders to survive.
Meanwhile, prosecutors portrayed the defendants as prolific killers and extortionists, primarily targeting rivals or perceived traitors within the gang.
The jury began deliberating on Wednesday. If convicted, the five defendants face life in prison.
Do gang-related initiation killings like these highlight the need for stricter youth intervention programs, or is law enforcement the only solution? Share your thoughts and discuss in the comments below.
