MS-13 Member Linked to Mother-Child Murders Gets 45 Years in Prison

Rene Mendez Mejia was sentenced on Monday

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.

Copyright The Associated Press
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