NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Federal prosecutors, at the beginning of the trial on July 24, accused the alleged leader of the brutal MS-13 gang of ordering "a series of murder missions," including the horrific killing of a 16-year-old teenager who was stabbed so many times that he was nearly beheaded. The 32-year-old Melvi Amador-Rios is accused of ordering hits on several rivals and potential informants, which led to 16-year-old Julio Vasquez's horrific stabbing death in 2017.
When the federal government issued an indictment, on September 12, accusing Amador-Rios, 32, Josue "Colocho" Leiva, 26, and Luis "Inquieto" Rivas, 28, of killing Vasquez in Alley Pond Park close to 76th Avenue, they were already imprisoned for other crimes. According to prosecutors, Amador-Rios ordered the attack on Vasquez because Vasquez disobeyed the instructions to kill, per testimony from former MS-13 members and associates who are collaborating with the authorities, as reported by New York Post.
Who is Melvi Amador-Rios?
Melvi Amador-Rios, also known as “Letal” or “Pinky,” is the alleged gang leader of the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas clique of MS-13 — who ordered several gruesome killings including the stabbing death of Vasquez in 2017. According to the prosecution, Amador-Rios' alleged rule over the MS-13 clique, Centrales Locos Salvatruchas, or CLS, which primarily operated in Jamaica, Queens, from 2014 forward, was brutal.
Killing was occasionally a requirement for promotion in the CLS group. Killing a member of a rival gang or an MS-13 defector allowed low-level "chequeo" to advance to the status of "homeboy." In order to receive their promotions, Chequeos also had to undergo a 13-second thrashing. Prosecutors claim that on October 22, 2016, when Amador-Rios gave the order to kill a member of the rival 18th Street Gang in Queens, three of those low-level chequeos had a chance to advance.
Apart from the alleged killing order of chequeo Vasquez, Amador-Rios is also charged with the 2016 paralysis of a 16-year-old rival. He is accused of ordering a subordinate to kill the teenager, who appeared to be a part of the rival 18th Street gang, in order to establish his allegiance and advance within the gang. Louis Serrano, the victim, entered the courtroom on Monday, July 24, in a motorized wheelchair and gave a brief statement against Amador-Rios.
Amador-Rios is accused of racketeering, murder committed in furtherance of racketeering, and other crimes. He is also accused of robbing three convenience stores and a money transfer company in Queens with guns drawn. Three underlings have entered guilty pleas to attempted murder and racketeering for the attempted hit on Serrano in October 2016. Leiva and Rivas are among the four people who have admitted culpability in the case for killing Vasquez.
What did Melvi Amador-Rios do to Julio Vasquez?
Vasquez was a chequeo with the CLS clique as well, and he had a poor reputation after being stopped by the police while brandishing one of the gang's weapons. Cops grabbed the gun but didn't stop him, which made other MS-13 members suspect he may be an informant. After a series of incidents, Amador-Rios demanded that Vasquez demonstrate his commitment, according to the authorities.
Amador-Rios assigned a different chequeo the assignment of killing an MS-13 member early in 2017 who he believed was hanging out with the 18th Street Gang. However, the target was tipped off, and he left New York. Federal authorities claim that enraged Amador-Rios hired Vasquez to carry out his command to kill the tipster for breaking MS-13 guidelines. Vasquez would become a "homeboy" after the murder, restoring his standing within the group.
Vasquez was given a deadline and an ultimatum: either murder or be killed. This was in response to him telling one of his fellow gang members that he was afraid to take a life. According to the prosecution, Amador-Rios signed the teen's death order when Vasquez was unable to carry it out. On May 16, 2017, members Josue Leiva and Luis Rivas allegedly led Vasquez to Alley Pond Park in Queens, where they allegedly stabbed him more than 30 times.
During the opening arguments in Brooklyn federal court, Assistant US Attorney Rafaella Belizaire stated that "As the leader of the clique, the defendant ordered a series of murder missions. They nearly decapitated him. They did this because their leader – the defendant – ordered them to do it. They stabbed him over and over and over until he was dead."
A birdwatcher discovered Vasquez's dismembered body in Alley Pond Park, five days following his slaying. Amador-Rios could receive a life sentence without parole if found guilty. His defense counsel declined to comment before the trial. MS-13 gained dominance among the city's community of El Salvadoran immigrants after the United States deported hundreds of Salvadorans in the early 1990s.
