HOUSTON — An MS-13 gang member has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in the death of a Houston teenager who was shot more than 15 times in a Missouri City park in June 2016.
Jose Guerra Sibrian, 37, pleaded guilty to the murder of 16-year-old Estuar Quinonez, according to the Harris County District's Attorney Kim Ogg.
Ogg said Quinonez had witnessed several gang-related murders, and his killers wanted to ensure that he would never talk.
“We will continue to hold gang members accountable for their brutal, illegal actions that terrorize entire communities,” Ogg said. “Targeting a witness is a vicious crime, and we will continue to seek justice for the victims and their families.”
A co-defendant in the murder, Douglas Alexander Herrera-Hernandez, was found guilty by a jury and sentenced by a judge to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Herrera-Hernandez had admitted to calling gang leaders in El Salvador to get permission to kill Quinonez. He then arranged to have several other gang members, including Guerra Sibrian, hide in the park, while others picked up Quinonez and took him to the park, the DA's office said.
MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, is a transnational gang that has members across the U.S., but police here in Houston have always spoken out about the gang being a big program locally.
The FBI said MS-13 inflicts fear and violence on the communities they inhabit. Their mantra is, “Mata, Viola, Controla,” which translates to "kill, rape, control."
Texas DPS has identified Houston as a hotspot for MS-13 presence and violence.
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