MS-13 leaders ‘assumed the role of executioner’ in machete murders, feds say

Several alleged leaders of the MS-13 gang face new charges in a series of machete murders in New York.

Among those named in a new filing are Edenilson Velasquez Larin, who authorities say is a national leader of the gang, Jose Espinoza Sanchez, 25, and Hugo Diaz Amaya, 36, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a press release after the 49-count superseding indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday.

“My Office and our law enforcement partners have worked tirelessly to hold MS-13 accountable for the unspeakable harm it has done to its victims and our communities,” said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “As these charges make clear, our pursuit of those responsible will not be deterred by the passage of time or by the leaders of MS-13’s futile attempts to hide in the shadows. This indictment strikes yet another blow at MS-13’s leadership and demonstrates our work to dismantle MS-13 from top to bottom.”

Before their arrests, Velasquez Larin, operating from his home in Colorado, and Diaz Amaya, who was in Kansas, were among the top leaders responsible for the gang’s operations on the East Coast, authorities said.

Velasquez Larin and Espinoza Sanchez are accused of ordering the killing of Kenny Reyes, 18, on May 23, 2016, authorities said. The two suspects lured Reyes to a wooded area purportedly to smoke marijuana but killed him with machetes and buried his body in the woods, authorities said. Reyes was killed after Espinoza Sanchez learned he had been associated with a rival gang, prosecutors said.

Velasquez Larin and Espinoza Sanchez are also accused of ordering the killing of Eric Monge on Sept. 6, 2020. Monge was shot while he was sitting in the front passenger seat of his parked car near his home in Queens. His wife had just returned to the car after bringing their young children inside their residence when two MS-13 gang members began shooting, authorities said. After the shooting, the shooters ran to a getaway car. On the way to the car, one of them dropped his hat, which authorities said carried DNA that linked one of the suspects to the killing.

Velasquez Larin and Diaz Amaya are accused in the Feb. 13, 2022, hit on Oswaldo Gutierrez Medrano, 20. Medrano was lured to his death on a promise that he would be receiving a promotion within MS-13 but was hacked to death with machetes and knives. His body was dismembered and buried in a wooded area.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy said Velasquez Larin and Diaz Amaya “assumed the role of executioner by ordering and participating with the other charged defendants in a series of brutal murders to achieve status and revenge.”

“These alleged conspiracies highlight the fearmongering and callousness in which MS-13 leaders and members operate,” Dennehy said. “May today’s charges reflect the FBI’s commitment to continue its close collaboration with our law enforcement partners to rigorously dismantle the MS-13 hierarchy and disrupt all gang violence terrorizing our communities.”

Law&Crime previously reported on the 2023 arrest of Velasquez Larin, who was caught on police body camera video during a traffic stop in Ohio. He was a passenger in a rented Toyota Highlander stopped for tailgating. During the stop, a trooper called Border Patrol agents working in the area for assistance and Velasquez Larin was taken into custody.

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