BOSTON — A member of MS-13 who earned full membership into the violent gang by killing a 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts say 23-year-old Joel "Animal" Martinez, a native of El Salvador who lived in Boston, was sentenced Tuesday.
He pleaded guilty in December to a racketeering conspiracy, which included the September 2016 slaying of 15-year-old Irvin Javier de Paz Castro.
Prosecutors say Martinez acknowledged being associated with MS-13 and bragged about the stabbing in a secretly recorded conversation, saying: "He stared at me and he asked me if I was going to, if I was going to stab him. I told him, 'Yes, the Mara rules you.'"
His lawyer argued for less prison time, saying Martinez was forced to join MS-13.
Associated Press