Suspected gang members indicted in teen’s death
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By AMANDA STEWART, Potomac News & Manassas Journal Messenger
Published: May 1, 2008
Two alleged MS-13 gang members were recently indicted on federal murder charges in the December shooting death of a Woodbridge teen.
Christian Argueta, 19, was shot to death outside of the Cerro Grande restaurant at Springfield Mall around 2 a.m. on Dec. 2.
Argueta was walking out of the restaurant with a friend when two men approached and shot him, Fairfax County police said at the time. Argueta's friend escaped unharmed.
The Fairfax County men were arraigned Tuesday at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria on charges of murder in the aid of racketeering for Argueta's killing.
Rafael Antonio Parada-Mendoza and Gabriel Hosman Perez Amaya, both 21, pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday, according to court records. Their trial dates have not yet been set.
The men were indicted Friday on eight federal felony charges, including murder and attempted murder in the aid of racketeering.
According to documents on file at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Parada-Mendoza and Perez Amaya are both members of the criminal street gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.
Argueta was "a rival gang member" and Parada-Mendoza and Perez Amaya killed him "for the purpose of gaining entrance to and maintaining and increasing position in MS-13," FBI agent Robert G. Saale wrote in an affidavit on file in federal court.
Parada-Mendoza, Perez Amaya and a third man, Jorge Parada, 28, were also indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Parada-Mendoza and Perez Amaya are illegal immigrants from El Salvador, according to court documents.
Parada-Mendoza was ordered to be deported in 2006, but did not appear for his deportation, the documents state.
The FBI investigated the murder case because police found Smith and Wesson bullets and shell casings at the scene of the murder. Smith and Wesson do not manufacture firearms in Virginia, the gun had to travel into the state via interstate commerce, making it a federal murder case, Saale wrote in his affidavit.
Witnesses told FBI agents that Parada-Mendoza and Perez Amaya were responsible for Argueta's murder, Saale wrote in the affidavit.
If convicted, Parada-Mendoza and Perez Amaya could face the death penalty.
Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( marumsco native ) on May 07, 2008 at 3:36 pm
In response to Tatiana714,I grew up in Marumsco Village in the 70`s and was shocked to hear of the stabbings you spoke of…Times sure have changed…There was always crime,but never a stabbing…Back then we settled our differences with our fists,guns and knives were for cowards…And still are in my opinion .
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on May 03, 2008 at 1:53 am
Lojixx you have the right to your own opinion i suppose, as well that i do, being illegal is still a crime. Although most of my comments were true and supported by the majority of legal immigrants. JaGomez if that is true i apologize. However i also feel if someone’s parents are here illegally and they have children here it should not be automatic citizenship. The comment about MS-13 stands though 90-95% of them are illegal as reported through the news. Their is no disputing that some illegals are hard workers and want to support their families that is understood, but when it comes at the cost of legal immigrants rights, social services and benefits then it is understood how very wrong that it is. Where is the “Social Justice” in that?
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Posted by ( tatiana714 ) on May 02, 2008 at 9:13 am
This is exactly why I am happy that the Police are getting those illegal immigrants out of here. MS-13 gang members were the ones that were walking around at night last summer stabbing people who were standing outside in their front yards in the Marumsco Village Neightborhood.(Woodbridge) If I was illegal I would keep as low a profile as I could not run around stabbing people. Thats how you get deported.lol
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Posted by ( Lojixx ) on May 02, 2008 at 5:31 am
Chris,
if you remember me you know that I don’t agree with many of your comments or your views, but I have to say that I agree with you in this case.
These are the illigals that give the others (though illigaly) here working hard for a better future for their families. LOJIXX.
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Posted by ( ONEEYE ) on May 01, 2008 at 7:48 pm
I am pretty sure they were involved in a
prior MURDER and were going to be deported,but didnt show up for their
hearing to be deported. Why went they held in jail until that date. The man at Springfield Mall would still be alive
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Posted by ( JAGOMEZ ) on May 01, 2008 at 5:41 pm
HAHAHA You make me laugh! It just so happens that I know who it was that had gotten killed and trust me he wasn’t illegal. And if you were to read what happens with situations like this one a lot of teenagers that are born here join the gangs as well.So just because it’s gang related doesn’t mean that they are all illegals.
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on May 01, 2008 at 2:45 pm
JAGomez 90-95% of MS-13 members are illegal. Odds are Argueta was too since he was a member of a rival MS-13 gang. I say let them kill each other. You live the thug life you sdeserve the consequences. Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( JAGOMEZ ) on May 01, 2008 at 11:16 am
It’s funny how it says that the two MS members are illegals, it didn’t say anything about the 19 yr. old being illegal
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Posted by ( barnun ) on May 01, 2008 at 10:13 am
Well I’m glad to hear we have principi fighting to keep these valued citizens welcome in our community.
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on May 01, 2008 at 1:25 am
Two more illegal immigrant murderers. With a twist this time, they killed another illegal rival gang member. Chris Cummings
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