MS-13 associate sentenced for luring 4 men to their deaths in Central Islip

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (PIX11) — An associate of the MS-13 gang will spend five decades behind bars for luring four men to their deaths at a Central Islip park seven years ago, authorities said Tuesday.

Leniz Escobar, 24, also known as “Diablita” or “Little Devil,” was sentenced to 600 months in prison for her role in the killing of four men after their brutal execution at the hand of MS-13 gang members in April 2017, according to prosecutors.

Escobar lured five young men — including Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre, and Jefferson Villalobos — to a wooded area in a Central Islip park to smoke marijuana. But when they got there, according to prosecutors, MS-13 gang members were waiting.

They ambushed the five young men and used machetes, knives, wooden clubs, and an axe to hack them to death because they believed they were part of a rival gang, authorities said.

After the brutal attack, Escobar bragged about the killings with other MS-13 gang members, according to prosecutors.

The victims ranged in age from 16 to 20. One of them, Elmer Alexander Artiaga-Ruiz, escaped as the attack began, and ended up testifying against Escobar at trial.

In April 2022, Escobar was convicted of racketeering, including predicate acts of murder and conspiracy to murder rival gang members, after a four-week trial.

“The defendant demonstrated her allegiance to the MS-13 gang by luring four
young men to their slaughter,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said. “Today’s significant sentence reflects not only the seriousness of her conduct but also the consequences of her actions including the terror and suffering experienced by the victims, and the life-altering grief that their families continue to suffer.”

Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

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