An accused gang banger was arrested Friday for the murder of his girlfriend and her toddler son only days after being put on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ list, federal authorities said.
Juan Elias ‘Cruzito’ Garcia, 21, a reputed member of the murderous international gang known as MS-13, was taken into custody after voluntarily returning to the US to face the charges, according to an FBI press release.
Garcia, who has ties to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Panama, is accused in the 2010 execution-style shooting of the mother and child in Central Islip, New York, authorities said.
Perp walk: Salvadoran Juan Elias Garcia (L) escorted by policemen after his capture Friday in Managua, Nicaragua
Garcia’s girlfriend Vanessa Argueta, 19, and her son, Diego Torres, 2, were victims in the brutal slaying.
He Friday surrender came just two days after being put on the most wanted list, it was the result of a coordinated effort between Nicaraguan authorities and US law enforcement.
American authorities sent aircraft to bring Garcia to New York.
Garcia was threatened by rival gang members after an argument with Argueta. He accused her of going behind his back to the gang, the FBI said.
Garcia and two fellow gang members shot her and her son dead after luring them to a wooded area in February 2010, said the FBI.
The mother was killed first, causing the young boy to start crying, said investigators, He was then hit by a bullet that knocked him down, the FBI said.
Off to America: Garcia (2-L) escorted in a vehicle by policemen to a plane waiting to fly him to New York
‘Torres got back up and clutched onto Garcia’s leg’ before he was shot in the head, according tot he FBI.
Fellow accused gang members Adalberto Ariel Guzman and Rene Mendez Mejia are awaiting sentencing after Mejia pleaded guilty to the murders and Guzman was found guilty at trial.
Gang leader Heriberto Martinez has been sentenced to three life terms, plus 60 years, in prison for multiple convictions that include murder, racketeering and conspiracy.
Read more: DailyMail
