FIVE MS-13 MEMBERS FOUND GUILTY OF BRUTAL MURDERS IN LOS ANGELES . (PHOTO).

 Five MS-13 members found guilty of brutal murders in Los Angeles 

A Los Angeles jury on Monday convicted five MS-13 gang members of a series of violent murders carried out to boost their status within the organization.

The Justice Department detailed that the victims were killed in multiple ways, including strangulation, shootings, machete attacks, and beatings with baseball bats. Some were thrown off cliffs or down hills in the Angeles National Forest. Prosecutors said the killings occurred between 2017 and 2019 and targeted individuals who either broke gang rules or were suspected of ties to the rival 18th Street Gang. One victim was killed for claiming a leadership role in MS-13, while another was shot for violating the gang’s methamphetamine rules. In a separate attack, a suspected 18th Street member was lured by two teenage girls, then strangled, stabbed, beaten, and thrown off a cliff. Another victim was shot in the Malibu Hills under the guise of a casual meet-up.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman called the verdicts “one of the most significant victories against MS-13’s Los Angeles network in decades” and praised the jury for holding the gang accountable for years of brutal crimes, including extortion and drug trafficking. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli described MS-13 as a “violent brutal gang” that authorities remain committed to eliminating in the U.S.

The convicted gang members include Walter Chavez Larin, 26; Roberto Alejandro Corado Ortiz, 30; and Edwin Martinez, 28, all found guilty of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a law aimed at combating organized crime. Bryan Alexander Rosales Arias, 28, and his brother Erick Eduardo Rosales Arias, 27, were convicted of violent crimes in aid of racketeering murder. The case highlights ongoing federal and local efforts to dismantle MS-13 networks across the country.