Thread by @riolacanlale

ICYMI: @Sheriff_LVMPD announced Monday that they had linked MS-13 to a string of killings in Clark County since March 2017 that left 10 people dead. Five gang members are in federal custody. lvrj.com/post/1344724

Two days before the arrests were announced, the grandmother of one of the victims told me she questioned whether she'd ever know who killed her grandson, Izaak Paul Towery.

Like several others, Izaak was found dumped in a remote area with injuries indicating a violent death. Police said all the victims had been shot and/or stabbed multiple times. At least six of them were kidnapped before they were killed.

Today, there are fewer than 50 documented members of MS-13 in Clark County. Their reach in the valley was not made clear by @LVMPD, but an expert says that "it would be extremely rare for MS-13 to be targeting general community members"
reviewjournal.com/crime/homicide…

On Wednesday, two days after the @Sheriff_LVMPD's announcement, three MS-13 members appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom to face charges in the kidnapping & murder of one of the victims, Arquimidez Sandoval-Martinez.

The suspects have been identified as Salvadoran nationals Josue Diaz-Orellana, 22; Luis Reyes-Castillo, also known as “Molesto,” 24; David Perez-Manchame, also known as “Herbi” & “Walter Melendez,” 19; & Miguel Torres-Escobar, 20

A fourth man also has been charged in the case, but his court date has not been set. Diaz-Orellana did not appear with the others in court.
reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/4…