WASHINGTON — A sixth man has been charged in the death of a teen with gang ties who was found murdered in Prince William County more than two years ago.
Jose Elias Ayala-Gomes, 21, of Rockville, is charged with murder in the death of Guillermo Hernandez Leyva, 19, of Montgomery County, Maryland. He was taken into custody last Dec. 28 and is awaiting extradition from Maryland.
All the suspects, and the victim, have ties to the street gang Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, the Prince William County police said. Ayala-Gomes joins a list of suspects arrested from New Jersey, Indiana and Texas.
In September 2015, police investigating another matter discovered Hernandez Leyva’s remains in a wooded area of Woodbridge off Westminister Lane, near Minnieville Road and Dale Boulevard. Leyva had been beaten and stabbed.
Charged with first-degree murder in August 2017 were:
- Daniel Alexander Flores Ventura, 24 — located in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Wilians Ernesto Lovos Ayala, 24 — located in Atlantic County, New Jersey
- Michael Alexander Campos Lemus, 23 — located in Essex County, New Jersey
- Vilas Sail Arugeta Bermudez, 30 — located in Texas
Also, charged last August with accessory to Leyva’s murder before the fact was Carlos Ulises Ochoa Pineda, 23, in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Prince William County police have said the investigation, and subsequent arrests, have been possible because of a collaborative effort including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Marshals and the Montgomery County police.
In recent years, a series of grisly gang killings in Northern Virginia and Maryland has increased concern about a resurgence of the notorious criminal street gang MS-13 locally.
WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this report.
