The Izaak Towery murder was the February 2018 killing of a 23-year-old Las Vegas man who was abducted while walking home, mistaken by MS-13 members for a rival gang affiliate, and stabbed 235 times. His body was found near Mount Charleston two weeks later. Three alleged members of MS-13’s “Parkview” clique are currently on trial in federal court in Las Vegas for his death and ten other killings across Nevada and California.
Who Izaak Towery Was
Towery lived with his mother, Angelina Birong, in Las Vegas. On the night of February 9, 2018, he left his friend Michael VanCleef’s house near Charleston and Nellis Boulevards around 9:00 p.m. to walk home. The trip usually took about ten minutes. He never made it.1NBC News. Body Found Near Las Vegas Identified as Missing 23-Year-Old
Birong reported him missing on February 13 after two days without contact. She told a local news station that while her son sometimes stayed out for a night or two, he always kept in touch. “After two days of no contact, I knew something was wrong,” she said.2News 3 Las Vegas. Man Who Disappeared on Walk Home Last Month Becomes Another Homicide Victim
A longtime friend, Nichole Garza, who had known Izaak since he was nine, called him a “people pleaser” who rarely left his mother alone and always found his way home. He was godfather to Garza’s infant daughter. His uncle Joseph Towery, who lived in Michigan, described him as someone “loved by everyone who ever met him.”2News 3 Las Vegas. Man Who Disappeared on Walk Home Last Month Becomes Another Homicide Victim
On February 25, 2018, a hiker found a partially decomposed body near Mount Charleston, between mile markers 9 and 11 on Kyle Canyon Road. Two days later, the Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the remains as Izaak Paul Towery. The coroner ruled the death a homicide caused by “multiple sharp force injuries.”3Las Vegas Review-Journal. Coroner Identifies Body Found Near Mount Charleston Birong started a GoFundMe to hire a private investigator and later updated it to cover funeral expenses.
How He Was Killed and Why
Prosecutors laid out the circumstances of Towery’s death years later, at the federal trial of the alleged killers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanee Smith told jurors that MS-13 members did not know Towery at all. They targeted him on what she called “slim information” suggesting he was tied to the 18th Street gang, MS-13’s longtime rival. He had no gang affiliation.4Las Vegas Review-Journal. Prosecutors Describe Brutal Killings in Federal MS-13 Trial
The gang members forced him into a car at knifepoint. They tried to question him, but neither side could understand the other: Towery did not speak Spanish, and his abductors did not speak English. “Towery had no idea what was going on,” Smith told the jury. He was stabbed 235 times, and his body was dumped near Mount Charleston.4Las Vegas Review-Journal. Prosecutors Describe Brutal Killings in Federal MS-13 Trial
Prosecutors said two of the men now on trial, Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo and David Arturo Perez-Manchame, carried out the killing. Evidence at trial included a pair of shoes worn by Perez-Manchame stained with Towery’s blood, along with DNA and firearms evidence.
The Arrests and the Wider Killing Spree
The investigation began when Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detectives connected two January 2018 homicides that happened close together and shared striking similarities. Forensic evidence from the disappearances of Earl Ryan and Rony Pashaca-Fuentes linked a firearm used in those crimes to earlier 2017 killings, tying a string of murders to the same MS-13 cell.5Las Vegas Review-Journal. Clark County Sheriff Announces Arrests in 10 Homicides Tied to MS-13 Gang
On March 2, 2018, detectives arrested five MS-13 members, aged 19 to 24, during a traffic stop on Jones Boulevard in Las Vegas. LVMPD Captain Robert Plummer said investigators had learned the suspects were “on their way to commit another murder” when they were pulled over. Three were from El Salvador, one from Honduras, and one was a juvenile. All five were held on federal immigration charges while the homicide investigation continued.6NBC News. Police Arrest Five MS-13 Gang Members in Connection With Murder of Izaak Towery
Police ultimately tied ten Las Vegas Valley murders to the gang’s Parkview clique, with coordination from LVMPD’s homicide and gang units, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and law enforcement in Los Angeles and Fresno. A 2021 federal indictment eventually charged at least eleven killings across Nevada and California. Victims were often stabbed or shot and left in remote desert and mountain areas. Motives ranged from mistaken identification as rival gang members to disputes over street drug sales.7News 3 Las Vegas. Vegas Police Say 5 Arrests in MS-13 Case Solves 10 Murders
Alongside Towery, the identified victims named in the indictment include Daniel Clark, 29, shot in March 2017 after a dispute over 18th Street graffiti; Abel Rodriguez, 19, a young father kidnapped and stabbed to death in December 2017; Richar Gaudio, killed in a drive-by shooting in December 2017; Carlos Pachaca-Rodriguez, found shot and stabbed in the Frenchman Mountain area in January 2018; Arquimidez Sandoval-Martinez, found dead near Lake Mead after being kidnapped on January 21, 2018; Juan Carlos Estrada Raya, killed on February 2, 2018; Jose Hernandez and Ricardo Olivas, both killed on February 6, 2018; Rony Fuentes, kidnapped and killed around the same time as Towery; and Earl Ryan, kidnapped and killed on March 1, 2018.8Las Vegas Sun. Four MS-13 Gang Members Indicted in Las Vegas Racketeering Case
Prosecutor Smith described a pattern in which gang members would “go out hunting, looking for people they could kill” to raise their standing inside the gang.4Las Vegas Review-Journal. Prosecutors Describe Brutal Killings in Federal MS-13 Trial
Who Is on Trial
The case is being prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada under case number 2:19-cr-00103, before Judge Gloria M. Navarro. A 34-count third superseding indictment charges the defendants under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), with additional counts of murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, firearms offenses, and aiding and abetting.9Casemine. United States v. Reyes-Castillo
Three defendants went to trial. Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo, known as “Molesto,” is a Salvadoran national who was in the United States illegally. Prosecutors accuse him of direct involvement in Towery’s killing and the murder of Abel Rodriguez.10U.S. Department of Justice. Three Alleged MS-13 Gang Members Indicted in Connection With Murder David Arturo Perez-Manchame, who used the aliases “Walter Melendez,” “Herbi,” and “Catracho,” is a Honduran national also in the country illegally; prosecutors say he was responsible for killing seven people in early 2018, including Towery. Joel Vargas-Escobar, known as “Momia,” is described by prosecutors as the leader of the Parkview clique. He was deported to El Salvador in 2018 but illegally reentered the country and remained a fugitive until his arrest on Long Island, New York, in April 2025. Prosecutors say he personally ordered two of the charged murders.11U.S. Department of Justice. High-Ranking MS-13 Leader and Fugitive Wanted for Multiple Murders Found and Arrested
A fourth defendant, Alexander De Jesus Figueroa-Torres, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and causing death through the use of a firearm. He became a cooperating witness for the government.12Las Vegas Review-Journal. MS-13 Member Testifies About Gang Killing
Defense attorneys have focused on the credibility of the government’s cooperating witnesses. Richard Wright, representing Reyes-Castillo, acknowledged that his client was a member of MS-13 but argued the evidence does not show he personally took part in the killings, telling jurors, “The more you squeal, the better the deal.” Andrea Luem, representing Perez-Manchame, told the jury her client spent time around MS-13 members and was involved in burglary and gun possession, but never became a full member and distanced himself from the gang in 2017. Nathan Chambers, representing Vargas-Escobar, argued that his client is charged in only two killings and that the government’s case against him depends on witnesses with strong motives to lie.4Las Vegas Review-Journal. Prosecutors Describe Brutal Killings in Federal MS-13 Trial
Where the Case Stands
The trial began presenting evidence on March 30, 2026, and was expected to last up to three months.13U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Nevada. U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces MS-13 Trial Set to Begin As of mid-2026, proceedings against Reyes-Castillo, Perez-Manchame, and Vargas-Escobar are ongoing. No verdict has been reached. If convicted of the murder charges, all three face a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty.11U.S. Department of Justice. High-Ranking MS-13 Leader and Fugitive Wanted for Multiple Murders Found and Arrested