Four teens from Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village have been charged in the killing of a 34-year-old Gaithersburg man whose body was found in a shallow grave in Great Seneca Stream Valley Park in August.
The killing is believed to be related to MS-13 gang violence, according to Montgomery County police. The El Salvador-based gang has reemerged as a violent threat in the Washington, D.C., region this year, with killings linked to the gang reported in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Loudoun counties.
Marvin Misael Vargas-Osorio, the man whose body was found in the park, suffered multiple stab wounds and his death was ruled a homicide by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Police announced last week that Luis F. Avelar Morales, 18, of Gaithersburg, Daniel Adonai Ramos, 19, of Montgomery Village, Edwin E. Reyes-Martinez, 18, of Gaithersburg and Juan Espinal Rapalo, 18, of Gaithersburg were charged for their involvement in Vargas-Osorio’s death.
Avelar Morales, Ramos and Rapalo have been charged with first-degree murder. All three are being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Boyds after they were arrested in the Nov. 1 killing of a different man, Roberto Gutierrez Cruz. Police said the teens killed Cruz, 22, execution style because he was believed to be a member of a rival gang.
Reyes-Martinez was charged with being an accessory to the murder and with possession of a handgun in the killing of Cruz as well as first-degree murder in the killing of Vargas-Osorio. Police linked the young men to the killing of Vargas-Osorio after a witness came forward and provided information.
In September, as police worked to figure out the identity of the body found in the park, detectives released images of personal items found on the body and received a tip they may belong to Vargas-Osorio. Police said last week they used medical records to then confirm the identity of the body.
