A federal jury on Monday convicted an MS-13 gang member of killing five people in northern Virginia and another in Massachusetts between 2018 and 2022.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a news release that 27-year-old Elmar de Jesús Alas Candleley, aka German Alexander Ramirez López, Buqui, Desquiado, He was found guilty of six counts of murder. Including conspiracy to participate in an extortion enterprise. Five counts each of murder with intent to extort and conspiracy to commit murder with intent to extort. He is charged with three counts of using a firearm in a violent crime resulting in death.
“This case is a stark reminder of the violence and disregard for human life inherent in MS-13's criminal activities,” said Jessica D. Abar, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “From flooding our streets with dangerous drugs to committing brutal murders to impose their presence, their dangerous activities will not go unchecked.”
Candleley and several co-conspirators have been implicated in six murders.
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MS-13 gang member Elmer Alas Candleley was convicted by a jury of murdering five people in Northern Virginia. (Rappahannock Regional Jail)
The first case to go to trial occurred on August 15, 2018, when Candleley met with other members of MS-13 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and met with MS-13's Directos Locos Salvatur, identified as KAC. He killed a member of the Cha faction.
The gang's leadership approved the murder because they believed KAC had betrayed MS-13. That night, they met with the victim at an MS-13 member's home in New Bedford, where they beat and strangled KAC, the attorney's office said.
The victims' bodies were dismembered, placed in garbage bags, and then buried in a wooded area. Candeley and others involved were promoted for their roles in the murders.
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The FBI investigated a murder committed by MS-13 gang member Elmer Alas Candleley. (Getty Images)
“Aras Candele committed six gruesome murders to advance through the ranks of MS-13, demonstrating a despicable disregard for the lives of his victims,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Geist.
Nearly a year later, on June 23, 2019, Candleley and other MS-13 gang members and associates, armed with a 9mm pistol, a .45 caliber firearm, and two machetes, raided Hunters Woods in Reston, Virginia. I headed to While there, the group is accused of shooting and slashing individuals to death.
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Elmer Candleley was found guilty by a jury of murdering five people in Northern Virginia between 2018 and 2022. (St. Petersburg)
Candleley and others also lured a young woman, identified in court documents as IJPG, to Colts Neck Road in Reston on September 17, 2020, under false pretenses. When the woman arrived, Candleley and three co-conspirators took turns shooting her. face.
Candele was also involved in three other murders in Northern Virginia from March 2021 to June 18, 2022. Then, on August 18, 2022, law enforcement directed relatives to tell gang members and associates in coded language to dispose of the ammunition. their photos. Candele also directed his crew to evacuate the area. The next day, a relative relayed the message.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional information about Candy Ray's immigration status.
Candele is scheduled to be sentenced by a federal judge on January 30th, and each murder charge could carry a minimum sentence of life in prison.
