A New York woman is accused of luring a group of teen boys to the woods in Long Island, where they were beaten to death.
Leniz Escobar, a now-21-year-old woman, allegedly affiliated with MS-13, asked five teens —Alexander Ruiz, Michael Lopez, Justin Llivicura, Jorge Tigre, and Jefferson Villalobos— if they wanted to smoke marijuana in the woods in 2017.
At that point, more than a dozen MS-13 gang members are believed to have attacked the boys with machetes, knives, and tree limbs, killing four of the teens.
During Escobar’s trial, Ruiz, the only survivor, took the stand to describe how he fled the scene and how the MS-13 members masked their identities with sweatshirts.
Investigators say the gang allegedly beat the victims as revenge since they had been “disrespected“ online. The victims were also said to be part of the 18th Street gang, a rival gang of MS-13.
According to reports, Escobar has pleaded not guilty to accusations including murder and racketeering.
