June 19, 2009
Importing Murder to Maryland
It was the evening of January 18, 2009, and five members of the notoriously violent 18th Street gang were cruising Langley Park, MD (aka “Little Salvador”). Given the significance of the date, they were seeking one of their MS-13 rivals to hurt. Who they found was 15 year old Dennys Guzman-Saenz, waiting at a bus stop.
Posing as fellow MS-13 members, they struck up a conversation with Guzman-Saenz and whatever he told them led them to believe he was what they were looking for. They forced him into the car and drove him to a park in Gaithersburg MD, at least 20 miles away, torturing him along the way. They also called at least 5 other 18th Street members to offer them a chance to get in on the kill.
Guzman-Saenz’s body was found in a creek at Malcom King Park the next morning. He had been stabbed over 70 times.
After the murder, some of the killers went to a convenience store to buy celebratory beers. One killer is reported to have used the same knife he butchered Guzman-Saenz with to prepare a meal later that night.
To date, the Montgomery County Police Department has arrested 10 people in connection with the crime. They were picked up in Maryland, Washington DC and Worchester MA. On June 18, a grand jury handed down indictments on 6 of them, including the first-time use of a 2007 law that allows judges to sentence gang members who commit violent crimes to an additional 20 years in prison.
As horrific as this crime sounds, the details are even more disturbing.
The man believed to be the instigator of this crime is Joel Y. Ventura-Quintanilla, age 22. During questioning, he admitted he is an illegal alien who had been jailed in El Salvador for murder and gun trafficking. He broke out with some friends last August, and they headed straight to Montgomery County MD because of the county’s internationally renown sanctuary status and generous social benefits. (A person close to the case in MCPD said that some of the accused had a “welfare checks” in their pockets when arrested.) So now MCPD is on the lookout for the other Salvadoran escapees.
When it comes to criminals, Montgomery County has a “don’t ask/don’t tell” policy towards immigration status. For “minor” crimes, immigration status is not asked. For certain “violent” crimes, ICE is notified but the County claims it doesn’t know what ICE determines. When MCPD Chief Tom Manger was asked by a HSM member on May 21st whether he knew the immigration status of any of the suspects, he said he did not. This, despite the fact that Ventura-Quintanilla’s confession about being an illegal alien & Salvadoran jail escapee had already been widely reported in the media.
In fact, it has now come out that all ten of the suspects may be illegal aliens! If true, this is an astounding statistic.
Shockingly, 3 of the accused are female. Two of them, Ana Abarca (age 18) and Silvia “Crazy” Martinez (age 19), were in the car when Guzman-Saenz was kidnapped and presumably helped torture him during a trip to Gaithersburg that must have taken at least 30 minutes. The third girl present at the murder, Ana Villatoro, is a juvenile.
As gruesome as the murder was, we may not know the whole story. Chief Manger has been pressuring the media to downplay the gore, for fear that MS-13 will retaliate.
Speaking of MS-13, whether or not Guzman-Saenz was a gang member is not clear. This is important, because if he were a gang-banger, his family would not be eligible for Montgomery County’s “Victim’s Assistance Program” (including possible monetary compensation). At first, the story was that he was an “associate” but not yet “jumped in.” In fact, right after the murder, the rumor was his family was afraid to go outside because they thought Dennys had been killed by MS-13 because he would not join their gang. Then the story became that he wasn’t MS-13 himself, but had a relative who is MS-13. Now, the story is that he was not associated with MS-13. So, maybe he was MS-13 or maybe he just indulged in a little too much teenage male bragging to the wrong people.
No, we don’t know the immigration status of the Guzman-Saenz family.
Montgomery County used to be a wonderful place to live. Those who grew up here know what a pleasant and peaceful place it used to be to raise a middle-class family. But “immigrant rights” groups like CASA de Maryland and a cynical County Council beholding to its political power base of clueless lefties and impoverished immigrants have changed all that. Violent murderers from all over the world now know the welcome mat is out for them in Marialand.
Now, more than ever, Maryland is justifying its once tongue-in-cheek name of “California-on-the-Atlantic.”
Internet Sources:
Manger’s email: MCPDChief@montgomerycountymd.gov
MCPD Press Release on Guzman-Saenz murder:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Apps/Police/News/NA_details.asp?NaID=4805
Good summary with photos:
http://gaithersblog.net/2009/05/11/mcp-suspects-arrested-in-homicide-of-dennys-guzman-saenz/
about 18th Street:
http://www.knowgangs.com/gang_resources/profiles/18th/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_Street_gang
May 12th Washington Post article with photos of 7 of the suspects:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051201291.html
Montgomery County Victim’s Assistance Program
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/hhstmpl.asp?url=/content/hhs/vasap/whoserve.asp
Importing Murder to Maryland
It was the evening of January 18, 2009, and five members of the notoriously violent 18th Street gang were cruising Langley Park, MD (aka “Little Salvador”). Given the significance of the date, they were seeking one of their MS-13 rivals to hurt. Who they found was 15 year old Dennys Guzman-Saenz, waiting at a bus stop.
Posing as fellow MS-13 members, they struck up a conversation with Guzman-Saenz and whatever he told them led them to believe he was what they were looking for. They forced him into the car and drove him to a park in Gaithersburg MD, at least 20 miles away, torturing him along the way. They also called at least 5 other 18th Street members to offer them a chance to get in on the kill.
Guzman-Saenz’s body was found in a creek at Malcom King Park the next morning. He had been stabbed over 70 times.
After the murder, some of the killers went to a convenience store to buy celebratory beers. One killer is reported to have used the same knife he butchered Guzman-Saenz with to prepare a meal later that night.
To date, the Montgomery County Police Department has arrested 10 people in connection with the crime. They were picked up in Maryland, Washington DC and Worchester MA. On June 18, a grand jury handed down indictments on 6 of them, including the first-time use of a 2007 law that allows judges to sentence gang members who commit violent crimes to an additional 20 years in prison.
As horrific as this crime sounds, the details are even more disturbing.
The man believed to be the instigator of this crime is Joel Y. Ventura-Quintanilla, age 22. During questioning, he admitted he is an illegal alien who had been jailed in El Salvador for murder and gun trafficking. He broke out with some friends last August, and they headed straight to Montgomery County MD because of the county’s internationally renown sanctuary status and generous social benefits. (A person close to the case in MCPD said that some of the accused had a “welfare checks” in their pockets when arrested.) So now MCPD is on the lookout for the other Salvadoran escapees.
When it comes to criminals, Montgomery County has a “don’t ask/don’t tell” policy towards immigration status. For “minor” crimes, immigration status is not asked. For certain “violent” crimes, ICE is notified but the County claims it doesn’t know what ICE determines. When MCPD Chief Tom Manger was asked by a HSM member on May 21st whether he knew the immigration status of any of the suspects, he said he did not. This, despite the fact that Ventura-Quintanilla’s confession about being an illegal alien & Salvadoran jail escapee had already been widely reported in the media.
In fact, it has now come out that all ten of the suspects may be illegal aliens! If true, this is an astounding statistic.
Shockingly, 3 of the accused are female. Two of them, Ana Abarca (age 18) and Silvia “Crazy” Martinez (age 19), were in the car when Guzman-Saenz was kidnapped and presumably helped torture him during a trip to Gaithersburg that must have taken at least 30 minutes. The third girl present at the murder, Ana Villatoro, is a juvenile.
As gruesome as the murder was, we may not know the whole story. Chief Manger has been pressuring the media to downplay the gore, for fear that MS-13 will retaliate.
Speaking of MS-13, whether or not Guzman-Saenz was a gang member is not clear. This is important, because if he were a gang-banger, his family would not be eligible for Montgomery County’s “Victim’s Assistance Program” (including possible monetary compensation). At first, the story was that he was an “associate” but not yet “jumped in.” In fact, right after the murder, the rumor was his family was afraid to go outside because they thought Dennys had been killed by MS-13 because he would not join their gang. Then the story became that he wasn’t MS-13 himself, but had a relative who is MS-13. Now, the story is that he was not associated with MS-13. So, maybe he was MS-13 or maybe he just indulged in a little too much teenage male bragging to the wrong people.
No, we don’t know the immigration status of the Guzman-Saenz family.
Montgomery County used to be a wonderful place to live. Those who grew up here know what a pleasant and peaceful place it used to be to raise a middle-class family. But “immigrant rights” groups like CASA de Maryland and a cynical County Council beholding to its political power base of clueless lefties and impoverished immigrants have changed all that. Violent murderers from all over the world now know the welcome mat is out for them in Marialand.
Now, more than ever, Maryland is justifying its once tongue-in-cheek name of “California-on-the-Atlantic.”
Internet Sources:
Manger’s email: MCPDChief@montgomerycountymd.gov
MCPD Press Release on Guzman-Saenz murder:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Apps/Police/News/NA_details.asp?NaID=4805
Good summary with photos:
http://gaithersblog.net/2009/05/11/mcp-suspects-arrested-in-homicide-of-dennys-guzman-saenz/
about 18th Street:
http://www.knowgangs.com/gang_resources/profiles/18th/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_Street_gang
May 12th Washington Post article with photos of 7 of the suspects:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051201291.html
Montgomery County Victim’s Assistance Program
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/hhstmpl.asp?url=/content/hhs/vasap/whoserve.asp
posted by Steven R Berryman at 7:16 AM
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