Update 3: Police yesterday arrested Edwin Antonio Lopez in connection with the Guzman-Saenz murder. This makes for a total of ten arrests in this case:
- Edwin Antonio Lopez, 21
- Joel Yonathan Ventura-Quintanilla, 22
- David Antonio Lozano, 32
- Ana Abarca, 18
- Ysaud Flores, 30
- Joel Antonio Lovo-Reyes, 29
- Daniel A. Zavala, 26
- Silvia Martinez, 19
- Francis E. Artiga-Cardoza, 22
- Ana Villatoro, 17
They are all charged with first-degree murder, as well as various combinations of kidnapping, armed robbery and kidnapping a child under 16. Sebastian Montes’ article in the Gazette gives a good overview of the story. Disturbing allegations reported in this and other news reports, but not included in the Police press releases, include:
- Guzman-Saenz was stabbed 72 times.
- Joel Yonathan Ventura-Quintanilla, AKA “Jhony”, admitted to being an illegal immigrant who had escaped last August from the Cojuteteque Prison in El Salvador; he had been arrested in that country for murder and gun trafficking. MCP was able to confirm this with Salvadoran officials. The names of the other nine suspects have been forwarded to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Abarca and Flores robbed Guzman-Saenz of $10.
- Quintanilla-Ventura and Lorenzo went out and got beer to celebrate.
- Quintanilla-Ventura and Lorenzo kept the murder weapon around and sometimes used it to prepare food.
- Zavala is suspected in another stabbing of an MS-13 member in the District last Sunday; that victim is still alive.
- One of the ten is also suspected in the killing of a 23-year-old man in February.
It is also reported that Ana Villatoro’s photograph is not being released because she is a minor; however she is being charged as an adult.
Taken from the revised MCP press release, Via Connected Communites:
Edwin Antonio Lopez This afternoon, Edwin Antonio Lopez, age 21, of the 11700 block of Newport Mill Road in Silver Spring, was located and taken into custody at the Glenmont Metro Station in Silver Spring. He was served with a warrant charging him with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Update 2:Yet another revised press release, Via Connected Communites:
Francis E.
Artiga-CardozaEarly this morning, Francis E. Artiga-Cardoza, age 22, of the 9400 block of Abingdon Court in Manassas, Virginia, was located in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was served with a warrant charging him with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and kidnapping a child under 16 years of age. He is awaiting an extradition hearing in Massachusetts. Today, Ana Villatoro, age 17, of the 3200 block of G Street in Washington, D.C., was taken into custody. She was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, kidnapping, kidnapping a child under age 16, and armed robbery. She is currently being held in a juvenile facility in Washington, D.C.
Update: MCP has issued a revised press release, announcing the name of a seventh suspect in the Guzman-Saenz murder. The new information is excerpted below; photo is Via Connected Communites:
Joel Antonio
Lovo-ReyesYesterday afternoon it was released that six suspects are in custody and charged with the homicide of Guzman-Saenz. Four of them are in custody in Montgomery County, and two are in custody in Washington, D.C. Late yesterday afternoon an additional male suspect was taken into custody: Joel Antonio Lovo-Reyes, age 28, of the 4200 block of 58th Avenue in Bladensburg, Maryland. He has been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. Through the investigation it was learned that Lovo-Reyes was one of the individuals who stabbed Guzman-Saenz.
MCP Press Release Via Connected Communites:
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| Ana Abarca | Daniel Zavala |
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| David Antonio Lozano | Sylvia Martinez |
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| Joel Yonathan Ventura-Quintanilla | Ysaud Flores |
Suspects Arrested in Homicide of Dennys Guzman-SaenzDetectives from the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division have been investigating the death of 15-year-old Dennys Alfredo Guzman-Saenz from the 8100 block of 14th Avenue in Hyattsville. His body was found on Monday, January 19, 2009, at the edge of a stream in the Malcolm King Park, located at the end of School Drive in Gaithersburg.
On Thursday, May 7, Joel Y. Ventura-Quintanilla, age 22, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Guzman-Saenz. He is currently being held without bond at the Montgomery County Detention Center.
Ventura-Quintanilla was developed as a suspect after detectives received an anonymous tip from an individual who only knew the suspect by his nickname, “Jhony”. Detectives had a good description of the suspect to include several missing upper teeth, and specific tattoos on his back and stomach. He was known to be a member of the 18th Street gang. Through the course of the investigation detectives identified associates of Jhony. May 7, detectives observed some of those associates enter a vehicle in Wheaton. After they observed several traffic violations, a traffic stop was conducted. Two knives were recovered from the vehicle. The four male suspects were taken into custody at that time. One of them was identified as “Jhony”, whose real name was determined to be Joel Y. Ventura-Quintanilla. The other suspects taken into custody were not associated with the homicide. As the investigation continued, a second suspect involved in the murder was identified as David Antonio Lozano, age 32, of the 13100 block of Wonderland Way in Germantown. He was located on Friday, May 8 and taken into custody with a warrant charging him with first-degree murder. He is also being held without bond.
Guzman-Saenz had left his home in Langley Park the evening of January 18, and walked to a metrobus stop in front of his residence with the intention of taking the bus to a friend’s house. Through the course of the investigation it was learned that Guzman-Saenz was forcibly abducted by five members of the 18th Street gang. Guzman-Saenz was not an official member of the MS-13 gang, but associated with MS-13 gang members. Eighteenth Street gang members were driving around Langley Park that evening. The date, 18, was significant to them because of their gang name and they were planning to find a member of rival gang MS-13 to harm. When they spotted Guzman-Saenz at the bus stop they stopped and talked to him, posing as MS-13 gang members so that they could determine if he was affiliated with that gang. Whatever information he provided about MS-13, it caused the 18th Street gang members to forcibly grab him, and drive away with him. It is believed that the group arrived in Gaithersburg near 8:00 p.m., and that the murder occurred no later than 8:30 p.m. on January 18. Guzman-Saenz’ body was later found by a community member cleaning up the park at 7:30 a.m. on January 19.
The investigation revealed that Ventura-Quintanilla and four other suspects brought Guzman-Saenz to Malcolm King Park. Lozano and others drove to Malcolm King Park separately because they were called and told that an associate of the MS-13 gang (Guzman-Saenz) had been kidnapped and they could take part in his murder.
After Ventura-Quintanilla and Lozano were in custody, detectives developed additional suspects. Ysaud Flores, age 30, of the 9500 block of Tippett Lane in Gaithersburg; and Ana Abarca, age 18, of the 12000 block of Greywing Square in Reston, Virginia, were taken into custody late Friday night, May 8 into Saturday morning, May 9. They had been with Ventura-Quintanilla in the car taking Guzman-Saenz to the park. They were both charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery (Guzman-Saenz was robbed of $10). They are being held without bond at the Montgomery County Detention Center. Warrants were obtained for Daniel A. Zavala, age 26, of the 1300 block of Randolph Street in northwest Washington, D.C. and Silvia Martinez, age 19, of the 1200 block of 4th Street in northwest Washington, D.C. charging them with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and kidnapping a child under age 16. They were also in the car with Guzman-Saenz going to the park. Both were arrested yesterday in the District of Columbia and remain in custody in Washington, D.C.
Additional individuals are believed to have been involved in the stabbing death of Guzman-Saenz and the investigation is continuing.