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(The Daily Record / Maximilian Franz)
MS-13 gang members sentenced to life for 2019 murder of Baltimore County man
BALTIMORE — Two reported members of the MS-13 gang have been sentenced to life without parole for their roles in the murder of a man believed to have been a member of a rival gang, the state’s attorney office for Baltimore County said.
Hugo Portillo Chavez, 33, and Jonathan Escobar Hernandez, 21, were convicted Tuesday of first-degree premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and sentenced Thursday, according to a news release.
The two men were charged in the death of Daniel Alvarado Cuellar, 21, who was found stabbed to death outside his Parkville home in 2019. An autopsy determined that he was stabbed or cut 40 times in the head, neck and torso.
The investigation determined that Portillo Chavez, who was led to believe that Alvarado Cuellar was a member of a rival gang, directed that the victim be killed and gathered others to help.
Surveillance video showed people stalking Alvarado Cuellar at a laundromat on the night before his death, investigators found. One car involved in the stalking was found weeks later in Mississippi and a number of people in the car were determined to be involved in the slaying, according to the news release.
