Massachusetts
MS-13 gang member convicted for ‘gruesome murders' in Northern Virginia, Massachusetts
A federal jury on Monday found an MS-13 gang member guilty of killing five people in Northern Virginia from 2018 to 2022, and another person in Massachusetts.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a news release that 27-year-old Elmer De Jesus Alas Candray, a Salvadoran national who also goes by German Alexander Ramirez Lopez, Buky, and Desquiciado, was convicted in six murders, including conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise; five counts each of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering; and three counts of using a firearm during a violent crime resulting in death.
“This case is a stark reminder of the violence and disregard for human life inherent in MS-13’s criminal enterprise,” Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia said. “Their deadly activities, from flooding our streets with dangerous narcotics to the brutal murders by which they attempt to impose their presence, will not go unchecked.”
Candray and multiple co-conspirators are responsible for six murders.
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MS-13 gang member Elmer Alas Candray was convicted by a jury of killing five people in Northern Virginia. ( Rappahannock Regional Jail)
The first incident brought to justice was on Aug. 15, 2018, when Candray met other members of MS-13 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to kill an associate of MS-13’s Directos Locos Salvatrucha clique, identified as K.A.C.
The gang’s leadership approved the murder because they believed K.A.C. betrayed MS-13. That night, they met the victim at an MS-13 member’s home in New Bedford, where they beat and strangled K.A.C. to death, the attorney’s office said.
The victim’s body was then dismembered and stashed in trash bags before being buried in a wooded area. Candray and others involved were promoted for their roles in the murder.
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The FBI investigated the murders committed by MS-13 gang member Elmer Alas Candray. (Getty Images)
“Alas Candray committed half a dozen gruesome murders to rise in rank in MS-13, demonstrating a vile disregard for his victims’ lives,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Geist said.
Nearly a year later, on June 23, 2019, Candray and other MS-13 gang members and associates armed themselves with a 9mm pistol, a .45 caliber firearm and two machetes before traveling to Hunters Woods in Reston, Virginia. While there, the group is accused of killing an individual by shooting and slashing him.
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Elmer Candray was convicted by a jury of killing five people in Northern Virginia between 2018 and 2022. (iStock)
Candray and others also lured a young woman identified in court documents as I.J.P.G., to Colts Neck Road in Reston under false pretenses on Sept. 17, 2020. When the woman arrived, Candray and three co-conspirators killed her by taking turns shooting her in the face.
Candray participated in three other murders in Northern Virginia from March 2021 through June 18, 2022. Then on Aug. 18, 2022, he instructed a relative to tell gang members and associates, using coded language, to get rid of ammunition because law enforcement had pictures of them. Candray also instructed the crew to move out of the area. The next day, the relative relayed the message.
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U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional information about Candray’s immigration status.
Candray will be sentenced by a federal judge Jan. 30. He faces a minimum of life in prison for each of the murder charges.
Massachusetts
Body part found in Shirley, Massachusetts pond, police suspect foul play
A body part was found in a pond in Shirley, Massachusetts and investigators said foul play is suspected.
It was discovered around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday as a group of people were walking along Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road.
Police said the group noticed something suspicious in the water of Phoenix Pond. The Middlesex District Attorney confirmed that the item was a body part, but would not elaborate.
Police shut down the road and divers could be seen exploring the pond late Wednesday. Authorities were back at the scene Thursday morning.
No other information is available at this point in the investigation.
Phoenix Pond connects to the Catacoonamug Brook, which flows into the Nashua River. It’s also connected to Lake Shirley.
Shirley, Massachusetts is about 44 miles northwest of Boston and around 13 miles from the New Hampshire border.
Massachusetts
Foul play suspected after human remains found in water in Shirley
Human remains were discovered Wednesday in the water in Shirley, Massachusetts, and authorities suspect foul play.
Police in Shirley said in a social media post at 7:15 p.m. that they responded to “a suspicious object in the water near the Maritime Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road.” Massachusetts State Police later said the object was believed to be human remains.
The bridge crosses Catacoonamug Brook near Phoenix Pond.
The office of Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said a group of young people was walking in the area around 5:30 p.m. and “reported seeing what appeared to be something consistent with a body part in the water.”
Foul play is suspected, Ryan’s office said.
Authorities will continue investigating overnight into Thursday, and an increased police presence is expected in the area.
No further information was immediately available.
Massachusetts
Ice covered highways, streets and sidewalks in Boston area rattled nerves during morning commute: “I’m ready for the thaw”
It was a treacherous commute for drivers across Massachusetts Wednesday morning. Ice on roads and highways caused several crashes during rush hour.
In Danvers, 22 miles north of Boston, the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars. Three people were taken to local hospitals.
In Revere, just seven miles north of the city, two tractor-trailers collided on North Shore Road. Police said it will be shut down for most of the day. It’s unclear if this crash was caused by icy conditions.
Forty-four miles west of Boston, a tractor-trailer ran off the westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westboro. One person was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with what were described by the fire department as “non-life threatening injuries.”
The ice wasn’t just a problem for drivers. People walking around Boston were also slipping and sliding Wednesday morning.
“I almost fell at least five times but I didn’t. I don’t know how. I screamed and caught edges,” Swapna Vantzelfde told CBS News Boston about her walk to work in the South End. It took longer than usual.
“The internal streets they just don’t get plowed, the little ones that people live on and then these arteries, the big streets, they’re cleaned a lot better,” she said.
Those on two legs and four were all stepping gingerly across slick spots.
“A little treacherous. Very slick and icy out here,” said a father pushing a stroller. “Sometimes you have something to hold on to, which helps.”
With plenty of snow piled along sidewalks and between parking spots, most people are done with winter.
“I’m over it. I’m ready for the thaw,” said one man.
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