MS-13 Member Sentenced for Teen’s Murder

A man aspiring to join the MS-13 gang has received a 45-year prison sentence for the killing of a teenager in Queens. Juan Amaya-Ramirez was involved in the brutal attack that led to the death of 17-year-old Andy Peralta at Kissena Park, mistakenly believing Peralta was affiliated with a rival gang. They thought that committing this murder would earn them respect and a status boost within MS-13.

Amaya-Ramirez, who goes by the nickname “corpse,” has reportedly celebrated the murder, even displaying gang signs on Peralta’s lifeless body. This behavior has surfaced often in conversations among peers, as noted during the hearing.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Rashan Diasie Hall criticized Amaya-Ramirez’s defense attorneys. They had tried to downplay his role in the murder, describing his part in it as “half-baked.” This comment did not sit well with the judge, especially given the details of the crime.

“It’s incredible to argue for leniency when the young man literally died from strangulation,” Judge Hall remarked, underscoring the severity of the situation. Before sentencing, she expressed her disbelief that someone could minimize the act of strangulation in such a heinous crime.

At 28 years old now, Amaya-Ramirez had his girlfriend, Leyla Carranza, lure Peralta to the park under false pretenses of romance. Once there, he and his accomplices, Oscar Flores Mezia and Juan Razo Villa, ambushed Peralta. They brutally attacked him, with Amaya-Ramirez suffocating him, according to prosecutors’ statements.

In a graphic and tragic detail, as Peralta struggled to breathe, one of the attackers forced dirt into his mouth, while another stabbed him in various parts of his body, mistakenly thinking this act marked him as a rival gang member.

Following the attack, the group took selfies, displaying MS-13 gang signs over Peralta’s body before it was eventually discovered by hikers. The prosecution revealed that Amaya-Ramirez took a particular pride in the murder, bragging to others and sharing photos as if they were trophies.

“He engaged in this act to elevate his status within MS-13, and to this day, he remains entrenched in the gang,” the prosecutor asserted.

Both Amaya-Ramirez and Flores-Mejia pleaded guilty to the murder last September. Flores-Mejia’s sentencing is set for Wednesday. As for Carranza, she has received a 22-year sentence for her involvement.