3 men indicted in New York massacre by violent street gang

FILE - In this April 13, 2017 file photo, emergency personnel walk near the crime scene where four bodies were found in Central Islip, N.Y. Federal prosecutors have quietly unsealed an indictment saying three members of the MS-13 street gang were among those responsible for the April massacre of four young men found hacked to death in the park, near a soccer field. The victims were identified as a 16-year-old, a 20-year-old and two 18-year-olds, including one visiting from Florida. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) FILE - In this April 13, 2017 file photo, emergency personnel walk near the crime scene where four bodies were found in Central Islip, N.Y. Federal prosecutors have quietly unsealed an indictment saying three members of the MS-13 street gang were among those responsible for the April massacre of four young men found hacked to death in the park, near a soccer field. The victims were identified as a 16-year-old, a 20-year-old and two 18-year-olds, including one visiting from Florida. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

By Associated Press July 17, 2017 3 min read

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) – Three alleged members of the MS-13 street gang have been charged in the murders of four young men found hacked to death in a New York park in April, according to an indictment that was quietly unsealed Monday.

The three suspects were arraigned Thursday in U.S. District Court on Long Island, according to the attorney for one of the men. Their next court appearance is likely in September.

The indictment identified the defendants in the Long Island case as Alexis Hernandez, Santis Leonel Ortiz-Flores and Omar Antonio Villata. Attorneys for Ortiz-Flores and Hernandez declined to comment; the name of Villata’s attorney was not immediately available. All three suspects identified in the indictment are in custody.

A federal prosecutor declined to comment, saying any information released about the case would jeopardize an ongoing investigation. An FBI spokeswoman also declined to comment.

Four young men between the ages of 16 and 20 were found hacked to death in a brutal massacre that authorities blamed on the MS-13 gang. The four were found with what police described as “significant trauma” wounds that Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy Sini said at the time indicated the work of MS-13.