An MS-13 gang member who participated in what federal prosecutors called a cold-blooded execution of a Long Island woman and her toddler son has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.
A judge sentenced Rene Mendez Mejia on Monday in U.S. District Court on Long Island.
Prosecutors say Mejia and other MS-13 members shot and killed 19-year-old Vanessa Argueta and her 2-year-old son, Diego Torres, in February 2010 after luring them into the woods in Central Islip.
Prosecutors say Argueta was killed because she had allegedly shown disrespect to the MS-13 gang. Her child was killed simply because he was with her.
Three co-conspirators, including MS-13 leader Heriberto Martinez, were previously sentenced. He is serving life plus 60 years for the Central Islip killings and two other murders.
