Report: FBI agent testifies MS-13 leadership approved killing of 15-year-old
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. – An FBI agent testified this week that approval to kill a 15-year-old Maryland girl came directly from MS-13 leadership in El Salvador, reports the Washington Post.
The testimony reportedly came during a hearing in which a judge determined that 17-year-old Jose Cerrato would be charged as an adult in the murder of Damaris Alexandria Reyes Rivas. Cerrato is one of 10 people charged in her death, including a 17-year-old girl who allegedly stabbed Rivas at least 13 times.
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Police believe Damaris was killed around January 8, although her body was not found until the next month in Virginia. According to the Post, FBI special agent Fernando Uribe testified that Damaris may have been killed because gang members thought she helped lure another gang member to his death the week before.
The Post reports that Uribe told the court that MS-13 leadership approved the killing, which was reportedly recorded on video that was supposed to be sent back to those leaders as confirmation that Cerrato was willing to carry out the gang's orders.
According to the report, Uribe testified Cerrato narrated the video of Damaris' killing and gave orders to others at the scene. While it is not clear whether the video was actually sent to leaders in El Salvador, Uribe testified that Cerrato was later promoted within the gang.
