Five suspects arrested and charged with a brutal MS-13-style murder in New York City include a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.
The suspects were reportedly charged with the murder of 23-year-old Ian Cruz, who was found dead with several bullet wounds to the head on Dec. 15, wearing only socks and underwear in Queens’ Bayswater Point State Park.
According to New York Post sources, the girl had only been with the group for a few weeks, yet allegedly played a critical role in the murder:
Sources said the teenage girl messaged Cruz online and got him to come meet her for a tryst in the woods sometime between Dec. 15 and 16. Instead, a group of four gangbangers — the girl included — pumped four rounds of .22-caliber ammunition into his head.
Authorities also think the girl could have been used in a similar fashion for the murder of 17-year-old Harold Sermeno. Police think both Sermeno and Cruz may have been thought to be members of a rival gang.
“I heard she was heavily involved,” said neighbor Matthew Woodard. “You don’t expect a 13-year-old kid to be caught up in something like that.” (RELATED: MS-13 Brings Its Terror And Recruiting To Middle Schools)
The three non-minors arrested included Carlos Guerra, 18, Yonathan Sanchez, 22, and Elmer Guttierez, 18, according to ABC6. All five shared a bedroom where the arrests were made and a .22 caliber pistol and 900 rounds of ammunition were confiscated by police. In addition to the second-degree murder charge, the suspects were also charged with criminal possession of a weapon.
Surveillance video taken at the crime scene linked those charged to Cruz’s murder, said police, who added that they are investigating the murder as potentially gang-related. Authorities believe the murder has all the earmarks of an MS-13 style killing, ABC6 reported.
All suspects are being held without bail except Guttierez, whose bail was set at $500,000.
WATCH via ABC6: