ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Douglas Duran Cerritos, 20, of Falls Church, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury for his role in a gang murder in Northern Virginia.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on March 29, 2014, Cerritos and six other gang members murdered Gerson Adoni Martinez Aguilar, a gang recruit, for breaking gang rules. The gang members lured the victim to Holmes Run Park and brutally killed him by stabbing him repeatedly in the back and the neck, ultimately severing his head. When they were done they buried him in a shallow grave in the park. Cerritos was their leader, and he both planned and directed the murder.
A total of 13 defendants were charged in this case for a series of three murders and one attempted murder that took place in Northern Virginia between October 2013 and June 2014. Of those, six defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial. The remaining six went to trial and were convicted of all charges on May 9. Each defendant convicted at trial faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Please see the table at the end of this press release for additional information on each defendant.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Chief of Fairfax County Police Department; Earl L. Cook, Chief of Alexandria City Police Department; and Barry M. Barnard, Chief of Prince William County Police Department, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia K. Martinez and Tobias D. Tobler are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-306.
Name | Age, Hometown | Charges Convicted of | Sentencing Info |
|---|---|---|---|
Pedro Anthony Romero Cruz | 30, unknown | Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence | 30 years |
Jose Lopez Torres | 26, Falls Church | Conspiracy, Attempted, and Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence | Life sentence plus 20 years |
Jaime Rosales Villegas | 31, Richmond | Conspiracy and Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence | 22 years and 8 months |
Juan Carlos Marquez Ayala | 23, Falls Church | Murder in Aid of Racketeering | Life sentence |
Omar Dejesus Castillo | 27, Arlington | Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering | Two life sentences |
Alvin Gaitan Benitez | 23, Falls Church | Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Accessory After the Fact | Facing mandatory life sentence plus additional time |
Christian Lemus Cerna | 20, Falls Church | Murder in Aid of Racketeering | Facing mandatory life sentence |
Araely Santiago Villanueva | 20, Falls Church | Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering | Life sentence |
Manuel Ernesto Paiz Guevara | 21, Falls Church | Murder in Aid of Racketeering | Facing mandatory life sentence |
Jose Del Cid | 20, Alexandria | Two Counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering | Two life sentences |
Jesus Alejandro Chavez | 26, Alexandria | Murder in Aid of Racketeering; Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence Resulting in Death; Felon in Possession of a Firearm | Two life sentences plus 10 years |
Genaro Sen Garcia | 21, unknown | Murder in Aid of Racketeering | Life sentence |