Two MS-13 gang members were sentenced Friday to multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole for a fatal November 2022 shooting in Silver Spring, the Montgomery State’s Attorney’s Office said Friday in a statement.
The Nov. 9, 2022, shooting resulted in the death of 19-year-old Willians Anderson Alberto Cruz of Hyattsville. Two other victims who were injured in the shooting survived, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
In separate hearings Friday in Rockville’s Montgomery County Circuit Court, Judge Terrence McGann sentenced Elmer Lopez-Cortez, 26, of Silver Spring and Junior Francisco Del-Cid, 21, of Takoma Park each to life in prison, plus three additional consecutive life sentences and another 105 years in prison.
In August, Lopez-Cortez, Del-Cid and a third co-defendant, Elvin Guzman-Machado, 20, were convicted by a jury on charges of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and four counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence. In addition, the three men were convicted of participation in a criminal organization resulting in death, the first conviction of its kind in the county, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
The fourth co-defendant, Jonathan Leon-Chacon, 26, of Silver Spring is set to go to trial on June 16.
After Friday’s sentencings, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said the men’s sentences were “well-deserved.” He noted the men were members of a “very, very active” section of the La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang operating in the New Hampshire Avenue area of Langley Park.
The county’s homicide and gang unit and a “cross-border regional gang task force” were involved in the investigation of the shooting, which led to the identification and arrests of the individuals in the case, McCarthy said.
During a press briefing after the sentencing hearings, McCarthy said he believed the the shooting was a way for the men to elevate their status within the gang. “Based on the way gangs operate, having a couple of bodies on you, where you can take credit for it, gives you status,” McCarthy said.
Before sentencing Del-Cid on Friday afternoon, McGann said membership in the gang is “incompatible with lawfulness” and described Del-Cid and Lopez-Cortez as “ruthless, coldblooded and violent.”
“These young men have been desensitized and have no respect for human life. We never lose hope for their rehabilitation. But the damage done to their character cannot be undone,” McGann said.
After the hearing, Del-Cid’s attorney, Adedoyin Euphus Belu-John, told Bethesda Today that Del-Cid plans to appeal. “I can’t get into too much, but he does respect the process. He respects the judicial decision a jury made,” Belu-John said.
He noted he asked the court for a lesser sentence to give Del-Cid a “chance that he could get out [of prison] because he is young, he’ll be rehabilitated.” Belu-John said he believes Del-Cid came from a “good family” and has family members who love him.
Lopez-Cortez also plans to appeal his conviction, according to his attorney Mauricio Barreiro. In statement, Barreiro said there was “no evidence to suggest that any bullet was fired by Mr. Lopez-Cortez and it hit anyone.”
“This case involved a collaborating witness whose full collaboration was not shared with the jury through State documentation; additionally, reference was made during closings as to the defendant not testifying, which is a legal ‘no-no,’ ” Barreiro said. “Hopefully the appellate court reviews the record and brings it back for a fairer trial.”
Barreiro also noted it was “very cynical approach” for McGann to say the men had no ability to be rehabilitated due to the defendants’ young age.
The fatal shooting
According to county police, officers responded before 4 a.m. for a report of shots fired in the 100 block of Colony Road on Nov. 9, 2022. Responding Officers found three men suffering from gunshot wounds. Cruz was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a wooded area nearby, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victims and defendants didn’t know each other before the shooting, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
County police identified Del-Cid, Lopez-Cortez and Guzman-Machado as members of MS-13, the statement said. The motive for the shooting was retribution for defacing gang graffiti in a forested area next to the parking lot where the shooting occurred, according to the statement.
After Del-Cid, Lopez-Cortez and Guzman-Machado became convinced the three men were responsible for the defacing, Del-Cid and Lopez-Cortez opened fire on the victims, according to the statement. Guzman-Machado and Leon-Chacon waited in a getaway vehicle.
According to the state’s attorney’s office, Guzman-Machado is scheduled for sentencing Feb. 21.
Ashlyn Campbell contributed to this report.