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On Thursday, Sept. 15, Reynaldo Lopez-Alvarado pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with his role in the Nov. 19, 2015, murder of Cesar Rivera-Vasquez and an attempted murder on April 9, 2013, in Bay Shore, said Breon Peace, United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
“In a twisted desire to enhance his status within the MS-13 gang and without any regard for human life, the defendant admittedly participated in extremely violent crimes, including murder and a shooting,” Peace said. “Lopez-Alvarado faces very serious consequences for his senseless actions which I hope will be of some relief to the community, including the family and friends of his victims."
In his guilty plea, Lopez-Alvarado admitted to murdering Rivera-Vasquez with other MS-13 members in 2015 because the gang suspected the victim was a member of a rival gang.
Lopez-Alvarado and other gang members attacked Rivera-Vasquez with a bat and knives in an isolated area in Babylon, and a co-conspirator cut his throat, the US Attorney's Office said.
The MS-13 members buried Rivera-Vasquez's body, which wasn't found until April 2018, according to the report.
Lopez-Alvarado also took part in the April 2013 attempted murder of a man on Benton Place in Bay Shore, according to the US Attorney's Office.
He and a co-conspirator retrieved a .25 caliber handgun and a 20-gauge shotgun and opened fire on a group of men, Peace said.
A victim was struck and taken to the hospital, where he was treated and survived, according to the report.
About a month later, Lopez-Alvarado assisted fellow gang members after the gang members committed two murders, Peace said.
On May 28, 2013, after his fellow gang members shot and killed Kennan Russell at a house party in Central Islip, the minivan they used during the murder broke down, the US Attorney's Office reported.
According to the report, Lopez-Alvarado helped them get gas and hide the firearms that were used in the murder.
The minivan had also been used during the May 26, 2013, murder of Derrick Mayes, Peace reported.
The US Attorney's Office said Lopez-Alvarado helped clean the minivan to remove fingerprints, and he helped drive it into a wooded area in Ronkonkoma, where they set it on fire.
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