5 Los Angeles County men found guilty of murders tied to MS-13
After a nine-week trial, five Los Angeles County men were found guilty of a string of murders tied to MS-13.
The Department of Justice said the following five men committed six murders to advance their standing in the international gang:
- Walter Chavez Larin, 26
- Roberto Alejandro Corado Ortiz, 30
- Edwin Martinez, 28
- Bryan Alexander Rosales Arias, 28
- Erick Eduardo Rosales Arias, 27
The men will be sentenced in July 2026. They face a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison.
"Cases such as this one serve as a reminder that MS-13 has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization," said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's LA Field Office. "The defendants in this case carried out barbaric attacks on their victims to simply enhance their ranking within the gang.
During the trial, prosecutors said the men killed members of a rival gang and people who had violated MS-13's rules.
The murders happened throughout LA County, including some in the Angeles National Forest and other mountainous areas in the region.
"These convictions send a powerful message that criminal gang violence and intimidation have no place in Los Angeles County," LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said. "These violent individuals terrorized our communities and tore families apart to further their criminal network."