By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press Writer
ALEXANDRIA, Va.- Four members of a notorious street gang killed a pregnant teenage gang member because she later became a federal informant, a prosecutor said Monday.
“To these four defendants, she was nothing more than a rat, a snitch,” said prosecutor Patricia Giles. “They killed her because they were arrogant enough, ruthless enough to believe they could beat the system.”
Defense lawyers, however, said during closing arguments that much of the blame for the death of 17-year-old Brenda Paz should be laid at the feet of federal authorities who allowed her to run amok in the Witness Protection Program _ and eventually leave the program altogether.
Four members of the Latino street gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, are on trial in federal court for the killing of Paz, who was four months pregnant. If convicted, they face a possible death penalty.
Prosecutors allege three gang members _ Oscar A. Grande, 22; Ismael J. Cisneros, 25; and Oscar Garcia-Orellana, 31 _ lured Paz to rural Shenandoah County in July 2003 on the pretext of a fishing trip and then stabbed her 16 times.
A fourth gang member, Denis Rivera, 20, allegedly orchestrated Paz’s murder from his jail cell to prevent Paz from testifying against him at an upcoming trial, prosecutors said.
Rivera’s defense lawyer, Jerome Aquino, argued the order to murder Paz came from two powerful cliques within the gang who were worried she was assisting police on numerous investigations.
He said Rivera, who also for a time was cooperating with police, twice tried to warn authorities Paz was in danger _ but that his warnings went unheeded.
“If they had followed up on the information that Denis Rivera provided, Brenda Paz would be alive today,” Aquino said.
Numerous gang members and former gang members testified throughout the trial. Nearly all said the No. 1 rule within MS-13 was that snitching was punishable by death. Many of those who testified are now in witness protection and have been promised a visa that will prevent their deportation in exchange for their testimony.
All four defendants have acknowledged their membership in MS-13. The lawyer for Grande, whose large MS tattoo peeks out from under his shirt collar, urged the jury to separate its distaste for the gang from its deliberations.
“You may be disgusted with what you’ve heard about the behavior of some of its members,” said Luis Restrepo. “But that does not translate into evidence of my client’s guilt.”
Lawyers for Garcia-Orellana, who has admitted he was at the murder scene but denied he participated in the killing, will make their closing arguments Tuesday. The jury is expected to begin deliberations later that day.