Maryland police say five MS-13 gang members stabbed one of their own 100 times and drove the body to Stafford County, Virginia, where they set it on fire.
The mutilated body of 16-year-old Jacson Pineda-Chicas was discovered near a wooded area near River Road around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9. Cops identified Pineda-Chicas after releasing a photo of a tattoo on his left arm, Tribune Media reported.
Five MS-13 gang members have been arrested in connection to the death.
Investigators believe the gang turned on Pineda-Chicas, a fellow member, stabbing him about 100 times and setting his body on fire, Prince George’s County Maj. Brian Reilly said at a press conference Friday.
Police in Prince George’s County said in a news release that the teen was killed March 8 in a home 60 miles away in Landover Hills, Md., that belonged to the leader of a Virginia MS-13 clique.
At that meeting, for reasons which are under investigation, there was a confrontation, and the 16-year-old was attacked and killed.
The suspects then drove his body to Stafford County,
Police believe the victim and the suspects are members of an MS-13 crew that operates in Fairfax County, but their leader, identified as Jose Ordonez-Zometa, lives in Prince George’s County.
The five suspects, Jose Ordonez-Zometa, 29; Jonathan Castillo-Rivera, 20; Kevin Rodriguez-Flores, 18; Christian Martinez-Ramirez, 16; and Jose Hernandez-Garcia, 25, have been charged as adults. They face charges of first-degree murder and other related charges.
“He was stabbed around 100 times,” Reilly said. “That goes to how violent this attack was and how it wasn’t just one person who did this.”
He said investigators still don’t know why Pineda-Chicas was targeted for death by his friends.
NBC 4 Washington reported speaking on Thursday to Pineda-Chicas’ mother who said her son was being threatened after saying he didn’t want to be an MS-13 gang member anymore.
The woman, who was not identified, told the station that when his gang pals accused him of talking to cops, they threatened to kill his family. He told them to kill him instead.
She explained that he took weapons to the meeting:
“He had to take knives to defend himself, and screwdrivers. He had razors and he told me, ‘Mom, I’m going to defend myself with them, but it’s not going to be enough.’”
The woman said her family fled El Salvador due to pressure on her son to join the gang there.
Increasing MS-13 violence has been reported across the nation in recent months.
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