Marvin Moralez, a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang known as ‘Little Chucky,’ was sentenced yesterday to 23 years to life in prison after pleading guilty for his role in the murder of a teenage alleged rival and the attempted murder of a Nassau County (NY) police detective.
Moralez pleaded guilty on Feb. 14 to the March 2021 murder of Daniel Garcia Carbajal (18) in Freeport and the attempted murder of a detective two weeks later, Patch.com recalled.
The cases against co-defendants Tulio Ayala, Manuel Aparicio Gomez, Kevin Torres, and Henry Canales for Garcia’s death are still pending.
Prosecutors said an unidentified male co-defendant contacted Garcia on social media and invited him to date girls. He was picked up in a car and driven to Cow Meadow Park in Freeport, where he was shot in the head. He had been perceived as an enemy of MS-13 because of his social media posts. His body was found the next day in the park.
Moralez was arrested on March 15, 2021, after pointing a loaded gun at a detective approaching the Hyundai van where he was riding as a passenger. The vehicle was speeding in a parking lot in Hempstead.
Prosecutors asked for a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Anne Donnelly, Nassau County District Attorney, praised yesterday’s sentencing. “This dangerous individual will now spend decades in prison paying for his crimes, unable to cause further harm to Nassau communities,” she said.
In a similar case this week, Gerson Hernandez, another Mara Salvatrucha MS-13 gang member, pleaded “not guilty” Tuesday in Nassau Criminal Court to charges he faces of homicide and gang assault for his alleged involvement in two shootings of Hispanic youths.
Nassau police are asking the public to help find another suspect named Wilson Yanes, 18, a Hempstead resident, who is wanted for that alleged gang assault. He may be in New York or Virginia, or Maryland areas.
All charges are merely accusations, and the individuals being prosecuted are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Long Island and Queens are two areas with the largest Mara Salvatrucha presence in the U.S., where dozens of murders and disappearances are attributed to the group. The Central American-based group recruits young men and women, mostly of Latino origin.
In April 2022, young Leniz Escobar, who called herself “La Diablita,” was convicted of all six charges she faced concerning brutal MS-13 gang homicides committed on Long Island.