MS-13 ‘Salvadoran rules’ led to heart removal, trial hears

MS-13 “Salvadoran – At an MS-13 racketeering trial in downtown Los Angeles, prosecutors said gang leaders enforced “Salvadoran rules” that required would-be members to commit killings. The case includes allegations tied to the 2017 murder of Juan Jose Sibrian—where prosecutors sa

When prosecutors described what they say happened to Juan Jose Sibrian in the Angeles National Forest in 2017, the courtroom kept returning to a single idea: that MS-13 in Los Angeles had shifted toward a harsher test of loyalty.

Prosecutors told jurors at Angel Guzman’s trial in downtown Los Angeles this month that Guzman chose a new tattoo while he was locked up for years awaiting trial—an image of a human heart gripped by long. clawlike fingers—one federal prosecutors said was evidence connected to the killing Guzman stood accused of committing.

In the government’s account, Guzman and other members attacked Sibrian in a remote area with no cell service and no witnesses. Authorities said Sibrian was stabbed and hacked repeatedly, and that his heart was carved out before his remains were tossed over a canyon.

“This shift resulted in extreme violence,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Suria Bahadue told the jury, describing how MS-13 operated in Los Angeles before 2015.

For most of the gang’s history. Bahadue said. local chapters allowed young associates to rise through the ranks by selling drugs. robbing people. carrying out beatings or doing other “work.” But she told jurors that. starting in 2015. leaders began enforcing what prosecutors called “Salvadoran rules”—requirements that aspiring members kill in order to become full-fledged “homeboys.”.

Guzman is one of four men on trial for racketeering and related charges prosecutors say used violence to further MS-13’s interests. The government’s theory places Edgar Velasquez at the center as the Fulton clique’s “corredor. ” or shot caller. deciding who lived. who died. who received credit for a murder and who earned promotion.

Prosecutors said Velasquez ordered the gang’s members to follow the same rules laid down by MS-13 leadership in El Salvador. Defense attorneys have disputed that link.

In opening statements, Kenneth Miller, who represents Velasquez, told jurors there was “no phone contact” between Velasquez and the other alleged participants the night of the Sibrian murder. He argued that no one would testify that they overheard Velasquez order the killing.

James Tedford, the attorney representing Guzman, said prosecutors did not have fingerprints, DNA or independent witnesses. He argued the case rests on testimony from MS-13-affiliated cooperators who pleaded guilty to participating in murders in exchange for leniency when they are sentenced.

“Their entire case is built on murderer’s row — a bunch of liars just trying to get out of jail,” Tedford told the jury.

The trial is the latest stage in a broader case that began with a 2019 indictment accusing nearly two dozen MS-13 members and associates of carrying out a string of murders with machetes in the Angeles National Forest. In last year’s verdicts. five people were convicted of six killings tied to the gang’s effort to elevate members through violence.

This trial, prosecutors said, narrows the focus to three killings in 2017 that they argue show how the Fulton clique’s adoption of the “Salvadoran rules” turned L.A. County’s isolated mountain roads and forest trails into places for murder.

First, prosecutors centered on Sibrian.

They said the Fulton clique decided Sibrian should die because he was believed to have crossed out MS-13 graffiti and was addicted to methamphetamine. violating gang rules. On March 6. 2017. prosecutors said Fulton members spotted him near Whitsett Park. the clique’s North Hollywood stronghold. and convinced him to come with them.

Prosecutors said they took him to a place called the Wash near the Los Angeles River. choked him unconscious and drove him into the Angeles National Forest. Along the way, they said the group picked up rubber gloves and alcohol. Then. in a remote area without cell service or witnesses. prosecutors said Guzman. Fernando Garcia Parada—an MS-13 member named in the case—and others attacked Sibrian with machetes and knives.

Prosecutors said Sibrian was stabbed 107 times. The indictment, prosecutors said, alleges Guzman then sawed away at Sibrian’s chest and pulled out his heart.

Bahadue told jurors that the men reported what they did back to Velasquez, known as “Snoopy.” She said Velasquez was surprised at the level of violence his foot soldiers had reached and promoted them.

The second killing came about six weeks later.

On April 20, 2017, prosecutors allege a victim identified in court as G.B. was targeted because MS-13 believed he had cooperated with law enforcement. Prosecutors said Guzman struck G.B. in the back of the head with a pistol. knocking him down. and that another gang member hit him with a rock. They said Guzman and others repeatedly hacked at the man with a machete while a lookout watched for cars.

The third killing happened on June 4, 2017, again in the Angeles National Forest.

Prosecutors said Elvin Hernandez was targeted because he falsely claimed to be an MS-13 member. A cooperating witness—whose name was withheld in court filings—testified that members from multiple cliques gathered in a parking area before walking up a dirt path in the dark. The witness said the group discussed who would take part in the murder and who would stay behind to watch for passing cars.

The witness testified the victim believed he was about to receive a “correction,” meaning a gang beating, not to be killed. The testimony included a small moment inside a brutal scene: Hernandez asked them not to hit him in the mouth because he had braces.

“No, don’t worry, we’re not going to hit you in your mouth,” the witness recalled telling him.

According to the witness, when the group reached the top of the hill, the group formed a circle. Hernandez was ordered to lie down, and then the stabbing began.

The witness said “we all started taking turns.” He testified they tried to remove Hernandez’s head but failed because the machete blade was too dull. Prosecutors said the men then pushed Hernandez’s body over the edge of the canyon and used alcohol to wash blood from their hands.

Outside the courtroom, MS-13’s origins and migration help explain how the gang’s structure took root. Historians say MS-13—also called Mara Salvatrucha—began in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Central Los Angeles in the late 1980s. Arrests and deportations. prosecutors’ materials note. sent many members back to El Salvador. where MS-13 metastasized inside jails and poor neighborhoods.

Steven Dudley. co-founder of InSight Crime. a media organization and think tank that studies organized crime in Latin America. testified about why prosecutors’ description of recent changes mattered. He said the alleged adoption of Salvadoran rules in Los Angeles represented an effort to import a stricter loyalty test.

Dudley said U.S.-based MS-13 cliques have historically operated in the shadows, understanding that grisly violence would attract attention from law enforcement.

“So this move by [the Fulton clique] represented a break in protocol, at least a break in the sort of leadership understanding … of how far they could take things in the United States,” Dudley said.

In court, Bahadue tied the killings not only to operational decisions but also to internal loyalty enforcement. She referenced recorded statements allegedly made by another defendant, Jose Jonathan Castillo, inside his jail cell.

The prosecutor told jurors that Castillo boasted about his role in the killings and told a cellmate that the case against him had only strengthened his dedication to the gang.

“Yeah, I killed him, motherf—s. I’m going to throw ‘MS’ at them like this,” Castillo allegedly said. “And if you let me go, I’ll kill again.”

As the trial moves forward, the central question hanging over the testimony is whether the Fulton clique’s leaders truly shifted toward “Salvadoran rules” in a way that demanded these killings—and whether the government can connect that chain of command to the men now facing racketeering charges.

MS-13 Angel Guzman Edgar Velasquez Fulton clique Salvadoran rules racketeering trial Los Angeles National Forest Juan Jose Sibrian trial testimony Suria Bahadue