CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) – Federal agents said Thursday that they have caught the members of a violent street gang who killed three teenagers last year, including two girls who were inseparable best friends at their Long Island high school.
Nisa Mickens, 15, and Kayla Cuevas, 16, were slaughtered in a residential neighborhood near an elementary school in a Sept. 13 attack that came amid a national conversation about illegal immigration. Last December, Donald Trump referenced the killings in Brentwood during a profile for his Time magazine “Person of the Year” award after being elected president.
Within a few weeks of the girls’ deaths, the remains of three other Brentwood teens were found hidden in secluded areas. The victims included Jose Pena-Hernandez, 18, who had vanished in June.
Thirteen members of the MS-13 gang are facing federal charges in connection with the investigation, though not all are being charged in the killings, local and federal officials announced Thursday.
The identities of the suspects, including their immigration status, were not immediately released. U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers and local police officials scheduled a midday press conference to discuss the charges.