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Freiry Martinez, 18, was sentenced at the federal courthouse in Central Islip to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering charges for his participation in the April 11, 2017 murders of Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre and Jefferson Villalobos in a Central Islip park.
Martinez, who is an illegal alien from El Salvador, will face deportation from the country when he completes his prison term.
Martinez’s victims were lured by two female associates of MS-13 to the park on the day of their murder, at which point they were attacked with machetes, knives and clubs and an axe. At the time, Martinez was 15 years old.
It is alleged that the gang’s five victims were believed to be members of a rival gang who had offended MS-13. Livicura, Lopez, Tigre, and Villalobos were killed. A fifth victim was able to escape with serious injuries.
The bodies were found the following day in the park.
Following the murders, Martinez fled New York with the assistance of MS-13 members in New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland, ultimately relocating to Virginia before moving back to Maryland.
While on the run, Martinez continued his MS-13 involvement by associating with MS-13 members from those areas, engaging in street-level drug sales, assaulting rival gang members, and participating in the armed robberies of check-cashing establishments.
Martinez was a fugitive for more than seven months until he was located in Maryland and arrested on Nov. 21, 2017. He was initially charged as a juvenile, though the status was ultimately upgraded.
“It is my hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of closure and a sense of justice for the family members of the four victims, whose young lives were senselessly cut short by Martinez and his fellow MS-13 members,” U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement. “This Office, along with our fellow law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue gang members who commit depraved acts of violence on behalf of the MS-13 gang, and who foolishly think that fleeing the jurisdiction will place them out of our reach. Today’s sentence clearly proves otherwise.”
“This sentence illustrates our determination to bring these cold-blooded killers to justice, and show the local communities we're on their side,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney. “The FBI Long Island Gang Task Force continues to use its global reach to find those who try to escape justice, and stop more violence from happening.”
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart added, "After committing four brutal murders, Martinez fled the jurisdiction in an attempt to evade justice. Thanks to the strong partnership between both law enforcement and the United States Attorney’s Office his freedom was short-lived. We hope that this sentence sends a clear message, to both gang members and their associates that we will not rest until justice is served. This sentencing is another example of our unwavering commitment to dismantle MS-13 in Suffolk County.”
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