A gang member who fatally stabbed and stomped a man who had cat-called to some women was sentenced to life in prison Monday.
Twenty-one-year-old Jose Vasquez was one of six Latin Kings gang members who jumped Edwin Umana, 21, after Umana called out to several women who were on the front porch of a home in Wheaton.
State’s Attorney John J. McCarthy, who called the fatal attack a “senseless crime,” said he was pleased with the sentence set by Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Algeo.
“Jose Vasquez led a vicious attack on a man who was totally outnumbered,” McCarthy said in a statement. “He took a simple argument to this fatal extreme, and he deserved a most severe sentence.”
Umana was walking by the home on July 7, 2009, and called out to the woman on a porch. A man came out of the home and told Umana to leave the women alone. The argument escalated, and a half-dozen men chased Umana down the street.
Vasquez caught Umana and stabbed him in the head. The gang members began kicking and stomping Umana as he lay on the ground.
Police officers were on the scene quickly, but Umana was unresponsive and bleeding heavily. He died the following day at Suburban Hospital from the stab wound and blows to his head.
Six men were charged in the murder. One defendant, Christian Salmeron, 21, pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree and was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
The remaining four defendants — DeShaun Budd-Bey, 18, Jose A. Hernandez, 16, Kevin Miranda, 17, and Anthony Racedo, 18 — are scheduled to go to trial on May 24.
In February, a Montgomery County jury convicted Vasquez of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and rioting.
