A female member of the MS-13 gang was sentenced Tuesday to 50 years in a United States federal prison for the role she played in luring four young men to be murdered by more than a dozen members of the violent transnational gang. in the suburbs of New York City.
Leniz Escobar was an “important figure” in practically every step of the massacre that occurred in April 2017, when he “voluntarily and enthusiastically” helped plan and carry out the events.
Gang members armed with machetes, knives and tree branches ambushed the victims in a Long Island park, federal Judge Joseph Bianco declared in handing down his sentence in federal court in Central Islip.
The 24-year-old, who was known to MS-13 members by the nickname “Diablita,” was found guilty in 2022 of one count of organized crime and four counts of murder as part of an act of organized crime.
Escobar said in court that he is reminded every day of the pain he has caused.
“All I can do is hurt,” she said through tears. «Every breath reminds me that they are not here and that their families suffer. If I could trade places with them and take away that pain, I would.”
However, parents and other relatives of the victims who spoke in court were unmoved.
Bertha Ullaguari, the mother of Jorge Tigre, who was 18 when he was murdered, said Escobar did not deserve a sentence of 50 or 60 years in prison, but rather deserved the death penalty.
Jason Tigre said his older brother was his mentor and he was excited to graduate high school and go to college until his life was taken from him.
She pointed out through tears that he is now alone and tries to be strong for him. He added that it is something that should not have happened, but that it happened because of Escobar.
Escobar’s lawyer had asked for a maximum sentence of 32 years behind bars, noting that she had just turned 18 at the time and had already been subjected to violence, sexual abuse, exploitation and human trafficking.
“From the time of his birth until April 2017, he had led a horrible, horrible life,” said attorney Jesse Siegel. “The best years of his life have been the last seven years in custody.”
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