A MS-13 gangster beat high school girls with a bat and hacked them with a machete in a horrifying New York slaying. Alexi Saenz, 29, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges on Wednesday in a case involving eight murders.
This includes the brutal 2016 killings of two high school girls, Kayla Cuevas, 16, and Nisa Mickens, 15, who were savagely attacked while walking through their suburban neighbourhood on Long Island .
Saenz said little as he entered his plea. His lawyer read out a statement where Saenz admitted to ordering or approving the killings of those seen as rivals or individuals who had disrespected or clashed with members of his gang clique.
The victims included lifelong friends and classmates at Brentwood High School, Cuevas and Mickens, who were murdered with a machete and a baseball bat by a group of young men and teenage boys who had been following them in a car.
Freddy Cuevas, Kayla's father, expressed his disappointment outside the court that the death penalty had been removed from consideration. He said: He's an animal . He's inhumane. Hopefully justice will be served soon and we can put this all behind us as far as the families are concerned."
Elizabeth Alvarado, Nisa's mother, added: "All I want is my daughter to be at peace. The more time we have out, she is never going to be at peace. At the end of the day, she is going to be happy because it will all be over."
Tragically, Kayla Cuevas' mother, Evelyn Rodriguez, who became an anti- gang activist after her daughter's death, was killed in 2018. Rodriguez was struck by a car during an altercation over a memorial for her daughter.
The deaths of these high school students brought national attention to the issue of MS-13 gang violence during President Donald Trump's administration. The Republican had called for the death penalty for Saenz and others involved in the murders, attributing the violence and growth of gangs to lax immigration policies during his multiple visits to Long Island . Evelyn Rodriguez, Cuevas' mother, was a guest at Trump's 2018 State of the Union address.
The girls' untimely deaths also raised questions about whether the police on Long Island had been proactive enough in tackling the then serious threat of gangs infiltrating local high schools. Over the course of 2016, numerous Hispanic youths had been mysteriously vanishing in Brentwood, a humble neighbourhood about 40 miles from NYC.
The murders of Kayla and Nisa led cops to unearth the remains of three other young individuals who'd gone missing months prior their ages 15, 18, and 19.
Saenz admitted he wasn't at the scene during Kayla and Nisa's deaths but did have phone chats with fellow gang mates about the attack beforehand. Breon Peace, prosecutor, said Saenz's hands are "drenched in blood ."
Saenz, under his plea deal, confessed to involvement in six additional killings and attempts on three lives. He faces a prison sentence of between 40 to 70 years when he is sentenced in January.
MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, is a notoriously violent gang with roots in El Salvador. The gang gained a foothold in Long Island, terrorizing communities with violence and intimidation.
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George Johnson, father of victim Michael Johnson, expressed his dissatisfaction with Saenz's demeanor in court , stating, "He should die in there. This just seemed like something he wanted to get over and done with."
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