Gang raid nets arrest of suspects in 3 East Boston murders

Gail Waterhouse — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 17:49:11 -0500

A multi-city raid on Friday led law enforcement officials to arrest 56 people connected to the national gang MS-13. In a 64-page federal indictment, officials linked members of the gang to five murders, including three in East Boston in recent months.

Those three homicides, all of teenage boys, were all killed allegedly because MS-13 leaders told lower ranking members they needed to commit violence to prove their worth to the group, according to the Boston Globe:

Irvin de Paz

Wilson Martinez, 15, and Irvin de Paz, 16, were killed in September 2015 in East Boston after MS-13 leaders ordered subordinates to prove themselves worthy by murdering rivals, officials said. Cristofer Perez-De La Cruz, 16, was killed in January with a gun, knives, and a machete after MS-13 leaders in Virginia told leaders of local “cliques” that their crews needed to be more violent, according to court records.

Wilson Martinez

Police Commissioner William B. Evans said the murders of rivals appeared to be based on MS-13’s orders for initiation rites for its members rather than retaliation. According to the indictment, young men were encouraged to commit murder in order to be promoted in the gang. “We’re talking real young victims here, and their families are still suffering,” Evans said.

Four people are accused of killing Perez-De la Cruz, according to the Globe:

Cristofer Perez de la Cruz

East Boston residents Edwin Diaz, 18, and Edwin Gonzalez, 20, and Chelsea residents Marvin Melgar, 21, and Jairo Perez, 24. Gonzalez is also accused of participating in the murder of 15-year-old Wilson Martinez.

Days after that murder, the federal indictment alleges that Perez and 22-year-old Jose Vasquez, the leader of a local MS-13 group, tried to hide evidence by allegedly burying knives, a machete and bloody clothes.

The indictment also revealed that MS-13 allegedly began recruiting teens from local high schools in East Boston, as well as schools in Chelsea and Everett.

15-year-old Wilson Martinez found dead on Constitution Beach over Labor Day Weekend

Jessica D. Bolandrina — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 20:38:43 -0400

Fatal stab wounds may be what caused the death of a 15-year-old from South Boston whose body was discovered on Constitution Beach on Labor Day morning, according to the Suffolk District Attorney's office.

Wilson Martinez's body was identified to the public late in the afternoon on Tuesday, September 8, and authorities are urging the community to offer any information they have on the ongoing investigation.

A passerby found Martinez near the waterline by the East Boston Yacht Club on September 7. According to MyFOXBoston, "police say the passerby was a father who was at the beach with his two young girls to watch Air Force One landing right across the harbor at Logan Airport."

Because his body was found on Constitution Beach, a state property overseen by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Suffolk County State Police Unit responded. According to the DA's office, they were joined by "uniformed troopers from the Revere barracks, the Crime Scene Services Section, Marine Unit, and other State Police assets."

Video from 7News Boston shows area along Constitution Beach where Martinez's body was found:

7News Boston WHDH-TV

Martinez's injuries appear to be stab wounds, according to Jake Wark, a spokesman for the DA's office, but he added that the Office of Chief Medical Examiner has not yet determined the cause and manner of the teen's death. Wark said the death is being investigated as a homicide.

According to the Boston Globe:

"Officials would not say whether authorities believe Martinez was stabbed on the beach or if his body was left there, if investigators had any leads on possible suspects, or if detectives had any information about what may have touched off the deadly attack."

According to the Boston Globe, Martinez's mother worked tirelessly to afford to bring him and his younger brother to Boston from El Salvador about 2 1/2 years ago. The story says Martinez had just turned 15 and was a day away from starting his sophomore year at East Boston High School, where he was hoping to go to college and one day open his own autobody shop.

"No piece of information is too small to be helpful," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a press release. "Every piece of evidence, no matter how peripheral it may seem, is important."

Anyone with information connected to Martinez' death is urged to call detectives at (617) 727 8817.

Wilson Martinez | Homicide Watch Boston

Gang raid nets arrest of suspects in 3 East Boston murders

15-year-old Wilson Martinez found dead on Constitution Beach over Labor Day Weekend