An MS-13 leader is on trial in Virginia for his role in a half-dozen gruesome murders over the last five years, including one in which he and his gang shot a young waitress in the face so many times that her corpse was unrecognizable.
Federal prosecutors say Elmer Alas Candray, a 27-year-old native of El Salvador, became one of the busiest killers in Virginia as he rose through the ranks of the savage gang, which is known for its horrific violence, according to the Washington Post.
But now, he’s facing the music in federal court in Alexandria, where he’s accused of murder, racketeering conspiracy and firearms charges stemming from the six killings, which left five corpses in ritzy Fairfax County, Virginia, and another in Massachusetts, the outlet said.
Prosecutors say the murder case — which would imprison Alas Candray for life if he’s convicted — is the biggest they’ve taken to trial in several years.
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Ironically, it could be his own people that do him in.
Of the eight other gang members indicted last year for the slayings, seven pleaded guilty — and five plan to testify against Alas Candray, the one person who allegedly participated in all six killings between 2018 and 2022, the outlet said.
In court, Assistant US Attorney Megan Braun listed the case details while photos of the victims’ brutalized bodies flashed across the TV screens.
In one case, Alas Candray’s crew got angry that people were drinking, smoking and selling drugs in a small patch of woods behind a shopping center about 10 minutes east of Dulles International Airport, which they considered their turf.
The nefarious activity was bringing cops around — so one night in 2019, they sent a message by killing the first person they saw in those woods: 24-year-old Jose Guillen Mejia.
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The gangbangers left his bullet-riddled body laying amid a cluster of beer bottles and bullet casings, one detective testified.
The following year, Alas Candray and three others lured Iris Ponce Garcia, a 19-year-old waitress who’d smack-talked MS-13 in a social media video, into the same woods and murdered her.
An MS-13 leader is on trial in Virginia for his role in a half-dozen gruesome murders over the last five years. AFP via Getty Images
“They shot Iris 16 times, primarily in the face, leaving her unrecognizable,” Braun told the court.
They killed Rene Pineda Sanchez, 27, two years later in the same place, simply because he hung out in those woods, the Washington Post said.
Gang members beat the man so badly that a medical examiner said he looked like the victim of a car wreck, with ruptured internal organs and a crushed skull that they caved in with a rock.
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And in 2022 they clipped one of their own, beating 42-year-old Francisco Avelar Rivera (known as “Papalito”) to death with a baseball bat and stabbing him several times in Seneca Regional Park in Great Falls, Braun added.
The man was known as a heavy drinker who’d inflate his rank within the gang, she said.
Elmer Alas Candray, 27, is accused of murder, racketeering conspiracy, and firearms charges stemming from six murders that left five corpses in Fairfax County, Virginia, and another in Massachusetts. rappahannockjailva
That was enough.
“They cut off his head. They cut off his hands. They cut off his arms. They cut off his legs,” Braun said.
“They buried Papalito’s remains in the woods, where they were undiscovered for more than a year.”
The details track considering the gang’s reputation for nearly unrivaled brutality, in which its thousands of members often rely on guns and machete to do their bloody dealings.
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Alas Candray has also been accused of participating in the 2021 gangland assassination of rival Santos Antonio Trejo Lemus, as well as the 2018 killing of Kevin Abarca-Choto, 18, in New Bedford, Mass., over unpaid debts, the Washington Post said.
Despite this, Andrew Stewart, Alas Candray’s defense attorney, said prosecutors don’t have the evidence they need to convict him of the crimes.
“These gruesome photos don’t show that Mr. Alas Candray is guilty of these offenses,” Stewart said in his opening statement this week.
He also claimed the five flipped gang members are only trying to shift blame “to serve their own self-interest,” the outlet added.
Meanwhile, prosecutors say they found a kill list — which included Pineda Sanchez’s name — on Alas Candray’s phone.
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They also picked up a handgun linked to the shootings when they raided his Manassas, Virginia home — as well as two revolvers, two machetes, a baseball bat, knives and ammunition, Braun said.
MS-13 has thousands of members in El Salvador, where its movements are directed from leaders inside the nation’s prisons, the outlet said.
Although authorities in northern Virginia have convicted dozens of alleged gangbangers for killings, drug deals and human trafficking, their presence in the Capitol region persists.
Alas Candray’s trial will likely last several weeks.
English bulldog Turbo at a local park in April 2025 (staff photo by Vernon Miles)
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Falls Church is top dog in Virginia when it comes to devotion to adopting canines and showering them with purchases, according to one metric.
The Little City was crowned the No. 1 most “dog-loving” city in the commonwealth and No. 5 in the nation in a new ranking from PetSmart.
The pet supply company arrived at this conclusion by examining dog adoptions at PetSmart Charities events, plus sales of dog treats and products at its locations nationwide. Results were adjusted for the number of PetSmart stores in each locality and indexed against national performance.
“Top Dog Cities are home to passionate pet parents who treat their dogs like family, and we’re seeing that reflected in how they shop,” said Matt Byrnes, senior vice president of merchandising at PetSmart. “From tail-wagging toys and treats to stylish gear and premium health and wellness essentials, these top cities are making thoughtful purchases that help their dogs live happier, healthier lives.”
Falls Church made the ranking even though it doesn’t have a PetSmart within city limits. The closest one is at 6100 Arlington Blvd in Seven Corners.
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Two other Northern Virginia localities made the ranking: Woodbridge in Prince William County (No. 17) and Vienna in Fairfax County (No. 24). Elsewhere in the D.C. area, Germantown, Md. ranked No. 25.
The localities in PetSmart’s list were scattered throughout the country and ranged from small towns to cities like Portland, Ore., Lexington, Ky. and New York City.
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Dan Egitto is an editor and reporter at ARLnow. Originally from Central Florida, he graduated from Duke University and previously reported at the Palatka Daily News in Florida and the Vallejo Times-Herald in California. Dan joined ARLnow in January 2024.
Virginia Tech’s ACC Tournament run ended in heartbreaking fashion Tuesday night in Charlotte, as the Hokies fell to Wake Forest 95-89 in overtime. It was a game full of swings. Virginia Tech erased deficits, battled back repeatedly and forced overtime, but couldn’t make enough plays in the extra period.
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the game.
The Good: Rebounding dominance and a resilient fight
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Virginia Tech did plenty of things well in this game, especially on the boards.
The Hokies outrebounded Wake Forest 45-28, including 21 offensive rebounds, which created 20 second-chance points and repeatedly extended possessions. That advantage helped Virginia Tech stay within striking distance even when the offense stalled.
Head coach Mike Young pointed to the rebounding margin as one of the more frustrating parts of the loss.
“You outrebound somebody 45 to 26 or whatever that is,” Young said. “You’re supposed to win the game. Unfortunately, we did not.”
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Several Hokies contributed to that effort. Forward Tobi Lawal led the team with nine rebounds. Centers Christian Gurdak and Antonio Dorn combined for 15 rebounds, with Dorn seeing extended minutes after Amani Hansberry was sidelined with an injury he suffered against Virginia.
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Virginia Tech showed its usual resilience. The Hokies erased multiple deficits throughout the game and were able to force overtime in a game where Wake Forest led for almost 36 minutes.
Young praised the fight his team showed throughout the night.
“It’s been a characteristic of this team throughout,” said Young. “They’ve got a lot to them, and great kids to coach.”
The Bad: A quiet night for Neoklis Avdalas
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Virginia Tech needed contributions across the lineup in a tight postseason game, but Neoklis Avdalas struggled to make an impact.
Avdalas finished with five points, shooting 2-for-8 from the field. The Hokies’ assist leader was unable to record an assist against the Demon Deacons. He played 31 minutes before spending the final 7:37 of the second half and all of overtime on the bench.
Young confirmed the decision was performance-based.
“I just thought [Jaden Schutt and Jailen Bedford] were playing better than Neo, so that is how it went,” said Young.
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Schutt played his most minutes in a game (29) since late January. He shot 3-for-7 from three and made all six of his free throws, ending the night with 15 points.
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This game stands in stark contrast to Avdalas’ previous showing against Wake Forest. In that game from Feb. 21, Avdalas scored 17 points, shooting 6-for-14 from the field. He also recorded eight assists and three rebounds that game.
The Ugly: Turnovers early and execution in overtime
THe biggest issue for Virginia Tech came in two stretches: the early turnovers and in overtime.
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The Hokies committed 10 turnovers in the first half, allowing Wake Forest to control the pace despite Virginia Tech’s 25-11 first-half rebounding advantage. Off those 10 first-half turnovers, Wake Forest scored 11 points.
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“We had some terrible, terrible turnovers,” said Young.
Although Virginia Tech cleaned that up in the second half, only committing three turnovers for the remainder of the game, the early miscues forced the Hokies to play from behind most of the night.
After battling abck all night, overtime is where the Hokies ran out of answers.
Wake Forest quickly seized momentum in the extra period. Guard Myles Colvin gave the Demon Deacons a five-point advantage less than a minute into overtime, making a floater and a three.
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The Hokies struggled to generate offense in overtime while Wake Forest capitalized repeatedly at the free-throw line. When Virginia Tech was forced to foul down late, Wake Forest did not allow any chance of a comeback, making all nine of its free throws in overtime.
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“They were hitting shots,” Ben Hammond said. “Their point guard had the game of his life today.”
In the end, Wake Forest made the plays Virginia Tech could not.
The flyers encourage people to vote against the redistricting effort and feature pictures of the Ku Klux Klan and from the Civil Rights Movement.
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones condemned flyers with Jim Crow-era images discouraging voters from supporting redistricting in the state.
The mailers, which Jones told WTOP he first learned about last weekend, featured pictures of the Ku Klux Klan and from the Civil Rights Movement. One such mailer said, “Our ancestors fought to represent us. Now Richmond politicians are trying to take our districts away.”
The flyers encourage people to vote against the redistricting effort.
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A group, Justice for Democracy, has been sending out mailers and texts with some clear dog whistles, using varying disclaimers in Virginia (“Democracy and Justice PAC” and “Justice for Democracy PAC”).
Early voting is underway, as Democrats in the state push for changes to congressional districts that are expected to give them more of an advantage in Congress. They said it’s in response to President Donald Trump encouraging redistricting in Republican-led states such as Texas. Republicans, though, have been critical.
In an interview with WTOP, Jones, Virginia’s first Black attorney general, said the mailers are disturbing, shocking, offensive and deceptive.
“It’s very clear a MAGA-linked group that opposes the referendum is sending these mailers to Black voters, and they’re misusing very, very hurtful imagery from the Civil Rights Movement, even invoking Jim Crow, to weaponize one of the darkest chapters in our history, to scare people into voting no and help Republicans maintain a rigged map for 2026 so they can keep control of Congress,” Jones said.
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In a statement, the NAACP Virginia State Conference said the flyers falsely compare redistricting to Jim Crow.
“While the NAACP is nonpartisan, we are deeply engaged in political advocacy to safeguard our communities,” said Rev. Cozy Bailey, president of NAACP Virginia.
The purpose of the mailers, Jones said, is to “suppress the vote. It’s to make sure that people don’t go make their voices heard during this election.”
The flyers said they’re paid for by a group called Democracy and Justice PAC. Former Virginia Del. A.C. Cordoza, a Republican, is listed as the chairman, according to Virginia Board of Elections documents.
“I couldn’t see why they say it’s insulting,” Cordoza told WTOP. “I’m a Black man. I don’t want my Black vote to be taken away.”
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The proposed new map, Cordoza said, “ripped apart majority-minority districts in order to increase the number of white representatives from Northern Virginia.”
Cordoza said he didn’t know how many homes the mailers had been sent to or how much the PAC spent on them.
“I want people to do their research and see exactly what’s happening,” Cordoza said. “We, as Virginians, voted for a bipartisan redistricting commission for a reason.”
Jones, though, said he sits “across the dinner table from people who have had their right to vote denied because of the color of their skin. It’s 2026. I would hope that we’d be past tactics like this, but clearly we aren’t.”
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