MS-13 associate convicted of 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 in a Central Islip park seven years ago, authorities announced Tuesday.

Leniz Escobar, 24, also known as “Diablita” or “Little Devil,” was sentenced to 600 months in prison for her role in the murder of four men after their brutal execution by members of the MS-13 gang 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 of a Central Islip park to smoke marijuana. But when they arrived, prosecutors say, members of the MS-13 gang were waiting for them.

They ambushed the five young men and used machetes, knives, wooden clubs and an ax to kill them 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 were aged 16 to 20. One of them, Elmer Alexander Artiaga-Ruiz, escaped early in the attack 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 attracting four
young men to their massacre,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “The heavy sentence handed down today reflects not only the seriousness of his conduct, but also the consequences of his actions, including the terror and suffering experienced by the victims, as well as the heartbreaking grief that their families continue to suffer. »

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

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