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Roosevelt resident Victor Lopez, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy for his role in the murder of 15-year-old Angel Soler in July 2017, DA Madeline Singas announced.
When he is sentenced on Jan. 23 next year, Lopez is expected to be sentenced to a term of between 23 years to life in prison.
Singas said that Lopez was a high-ranking lieutenant in MS-13’s Hollywood Clique and a close associate of David Sosa-Guevara – also known as Risky – the head of the clique on Long Island who pleaded guilty this week to his role in Soler’s murder on July 21, 2017.
Lopez oversaw the activities of the members of the Hollywood Clique in Nassau and Suffolk counties and was in charge of enforcement within the gang subgroup.
According to Singas, Soler’s “body was mutilated – bearing injuries consistent with the use of a machete – and he suffered blunt force trauma to the head.” Soler was buried until his remains were discovered under cement on Oct. 19, 2017, in a remote wooded area in Roosevelt, just south of the Southern State Parkway.
Nassau County Police investigators arrested Lopez on Jan. 11 last year.
“This defendant lured 15-year-old Angel Soler into the woods where he was savagely murdered by MS-13 gang members,” Singas said. “I hope that today’s guilty plea, and that of his co-defendant David Sosa-Guevara on Monday, affords some sense of justice to Angel’s loved ones.
"Thanks to the collaborative efforts of law enforcement we have decimated MS-13’s leadership on Long Island, and broken their grip of terror on our communities, and we will continue this work until this brutal gang is eliminated.”
In court, Sosa-Guevara said that MS-13’s Hollywood and Sailor cliques conducted criminal activities that included murder, assault, drug trafficking, money transfers, member movements, member punishment, and rival gang retribution.
“Today, defendant Victor Lopez, a high-ranking member of MS-13 pled guilty to the brutal murder of Angel Soler and conspiring to commit another murder," Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said. "This is the second time in days that the individuals responsible for this murder have been pled guilty in this case.
"The many law enforcement agencies and their investigators did an outstanding job with this multi-jurisdictional investigation and I commend their diligence and dedication."
Sosa-Guevara pleaded guilty on Monday, Dec. 9 to murder and conspiracy charges and is expected to receive a sentence similar to Lopez.
Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Division Special Agent in Charge Raymond Donovan added, “the murder of Angel Soler is evidence of MS-13’s brutality and is an example of the gang’s underlying ideology. Through law enforcement collaboration, MS-13 members continue to be arrested and prosecuted in order to keep our communities safe from gang violence.”
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