A leader of the MS-13 gang was sentenced to 39 years in prison for the brutal murder of a Virginia man in October 2016, Telemundo 44's Alonso Castillo reported.
Marlon Argueta Flores pleaded guilty to first degree murder in the fall. He admitted he fired the fatal shots that killed 22-year-old Edwin Chicas in Manassas.
Investigators said 11 of the 15 shots hit Chicas, and he was slashed with a machete after the gunfire stopped.
Detectives said Flores targeted Chicas for allegedly threatening the gang leader’s pregnant girlfriend and her unborn child. The judge said the murder was a hunting, not fear that Chicas was going to hurt Flores' girlfriend.
Chicas was one of six siblings born in the United States to parents who emigrated from El Salvador decades ago. His family said they struggle to understand the severity of the violence.
The family feared Chicas was involved in gang activity but never saw the signs at home.
Flores was one of eight people charged in the case, including two women. Those other cases have not gone to trial.
