BRENTWOOD, N.Y. — Police have alleged gang members in custody in connection with a spree of teenage killings in Brentwood, officials said.
Suffolk County Police along with the FBI executed multiple warrants Thursday morning at a known MS-13 gang location, a law enforcement source said. Officers arrested four MS-13 members.
The spree began in September with the deaths of Nisa Mickens, 15, and Kayla Cuevas, 16. They were walking in the area when MS-13 gang members allegedly tried to kidnap Cuevas. Mickens tried to fight off the kidnappers and both of the teenage girls were killed.
“The day Nisa Mickens and Kayla Cuevas were heinously murdered, the Suffolk County Police Department made a commitment to their families and to the residents of Brentwood that justice would be served,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy D. Sini said. “Today, in collaboration with the FBI and the united States Attorney’s Office, we have delivered on that promise.”
Alexi Saenz, 22; Jairo Saenz, 19; Enrique Portillo, 19 and Selvin Chavez, 19 were charged in the deaths of Mickens and Cuevas, officials said. They allegedly attacked the girls with baseball bats and machetes.
Police also discovered the remains of 19-year-old Oscar Acosta in September. He was reported missing on May 2nd. At that time, Suffolk County police said they suspected “foul play” could be involved.
Officials also found the body of Miguel Garcia Morán, 15, not long after that. They believed MS-13 was connected to all of the deaths.
In October, police found the body of Jose Pena-Hernandez, 18. He was a known member of MS-13 who was reported missing on June 13th.
The individuals arrested have been connected to only three of the deaths of Mickens, Cuevas and Jose-Pena, officials said. They face life in prison without parole if convicted.
Police previously arrested 35 suspected members of the MS-13 gang in October. The gang has links to El Salvador and Los Angeles.
“The Brentwood family has spent the last six months in mourning, but today marks the beginning of the healing process for this beautiful and resilient community,” Sini said.
