This week?s massive federal indictment of members of the international street gang MS-13 brought closure to an unsolved murder that had nagged Howard County detectives for more than a year.
With the federal indictment, Howard County police have closed their only remaining unsolved homicide of 2006.
“We?ve known for some time that gangs like MS-13 exist in the county,” police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said. “We still believe they have not taken a true foothold here. Of course, it concerns us that we?ve now had a homicide that involves gang violence. This reinforces the importance of continuing our proactive efforts against gangs.”
A federal grand jury indicted Rigoberto Del Transito Mejia Regaldo, known as “Ski” or “Loco Rigo,” with participating in the premeditated murder of Anber Gumercindo Juarez-Sanchez, 18, of Silver Spring ? previously the only unsolved killing in Howard County in 2006.
Juarez-Sanchez?s body was identified by a DNA test after hunters found his skeletal remains in a wooded area of Jessup last January.
The 30-count indictment, which was handed down Monday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, targets 16 alleged gang members, including two leaders imprisoned in El Salvador, alleging they directed crimes that included murders in Maryland.
The crimes cited in the new indictment include nine homicides in Maryland and Virginia, numerous shootings and stabbings, rapes and threats against police officers.
However, bringing the two gang leaders to justice in the United States may prove problematic since El Salvador?s laws prohibit extradition, Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said.
“As things stand, we would only be able to catch them if they leave El Salvador,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
AT A GLANCE
Howard County police have closed all four of their homicide cases from 2006 and all three of their 2007 homicide cases.
