MS-13 Member Pleads Guilty To Seven Murders In NY

Elizabeth Alvarado, the mother of Nisa Mickens, a 15-year-old who was killed by MS-13 gang members in 2016, speaks outside the federal court, behind, in Central Islip, New York, where Jairo Saenz, a h

A high-ranking member of an MS-13 clique in New York, Jairo Saenz, has pleaded guilty to racketeering and other federal charges related to seven slayings, including the 2016 killings of two high school girls that brought attention to the violent Central American street gang. Saenz, 28, admitted his involvement in the crimes during a hearing in federal court in Central Islip, New York.

Saenz, originally from El Salvador, faces 40 to 60 years in prison as part of a plea deal approved by the judge. He was the second-in-command in a gang clique known as Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside, operating in Brentwood and Central Islip. His brother, Alexi Saenz, the clique's leader, had previously pleaded guilty to similar charges.

The brothers confessed to ordering or approving the killings of rivals and others who disrespected the gang in order to advance within the MS-13 hierarchy and enhance their group's reputation.

He was involved in the 2016 killings of two high school girls.

Jairo Saenz pleaded guilty to racketeering and seven slayings.

Saenz faces 40 to 60 years in prison as part of a plea deal.

The victims' families expressed mixed feelings about the plea deal, with some wishing for a harsher sentence. Parents of two victims, Michael Johnson and Nisa Mickens, shared their disappointment outside the courthouse.

The murders of Mickens and her friend Kayla Cuevas, both 16, shocked the community. The girls were brutally killed with a machete and a baseball bat by a group of young men and teenage boys.

Acting U.S. Attorney Carolyn Pokorny condemned the gang violence, describing it as 'barbaric' and 'senseless.' She expressed hope that Saenz's guilty plea would provide some comfort to the families of the victims.

President Donald Trump had previously called for the death penalty for Saenz and others involved in the killings, attributing the gang violence to lax immigration policies.

Other victims in the case included Javier Castillo, Oscar Acosta, Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla, and Dewann Stacks, who were all brutally murdered by MS-13 members in separate incidents.

In addition to the seven murders, Saenz also pleaded guilty to three attempted killings, arson, narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses, and a conspiracy to kill Marcus Bohannon.