Four alleged MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) gang members were charged on Tuesday in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a rival gang member whose body was found on federal property in southern Nevada.
The case is the result of a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), FBI, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), with assistance from Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Josue Diaz-Orellana, 22, Luis Reyes-Castillo, aka ‘Molesto,’ 24, David Perez-Manchame, aka ‘Herbi’ and ‘Walter Melendez,’ 19, and Miguel Torres-Escobar, 20, have been charged with assault with intent to commit murder, kidnapping, and discharging a firearm during, and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to court documents, on January 21, 2018, Diaz-Orellana, Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame, and Torres-Escobar, kidnapped and murdered Arquimidez Sandavol-Martinez.
His body was discovered February 2 on federal property on East Lake Mead Boulevard, near mile marker 12, in rural Clark County, Nev.
Examination of the crime scene indicated that Sandoval-Martinez had been bound and had made some effort to escape his captors before being shot and stabbed to death.
Fired 9mm cartridge cases with “Blazer” and “FC” head-stamp markings on them were located within the crime scene.
(Learn More. Las Vegas police arrest MS-13 gang members in connection to brutal murders. Courtesy of Fox News and YouTube. Posted on Mar 27, 2018)
During the course of the investigation, investigators learned that Sandoval-Martinez was last seen on January 21, at Club 2100, located at 2100 Fremont Street.
Investigators obtained cell phone records that indicated Diaz-Orellana’s phone used cell towers near the club, heading eastbound along Lake Mead Boulevard – in the area where Sandavol-Martinez’s body was found.
On March 2, law enforcement stopped Diaz-Orellana, who was in a vehicle with Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame, and Torres-Escobar.
A large butcher knife, a baseball hat with an apparent bloodstain on it, and three 9mm handguns were recovered in the vehicle.
(Learn More. Gruesome murders blamed on notorious MS-13 gang in Las Vegas. Courtesy of KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas and YouTube. Posted on Mar 26, 2018)
Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame, and Torres-Escobar are scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Cam Ferenbach.
A date for Diaz-Orellana has not yet been set. The defendants, all citizens of El Salvador, are in federal custody.
