Leniz Escobar, the MS-13 associate known as “La Diablita,” was sentenced on October 1, 2024 to 50 years in federal prison for luring four young men to a Central Islip, Long Island park in April 2017, where more than a dozen gang members killed them with machetes, knives, an axe, and clubs. The Leniz Escobar sentence was handed down by U.S. Circuit Judge Joseph Frank Bianco in the Eastern District of New York, roughly two and a half years after a federal jury convicted her of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, and obstruction of justice.
Escobar was 17 at the time of the killings and had already been incarcerated for more than seven years when the sentence came down. Her residence at the time of the crimes was listed as Islip Terrace, New York.1U.S. Department of Justice. MS-13 Gang Associate Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Murders of Four Young Men in Central Islip
What Escobar Did on April 11, 2017
On the night of April 11, 2017, Escobar and co-conspirator Keyli Gomez drove five young men to a wooded section of Central Islip Recreation Village Park, telling them they were going to smoke marijuana. Once the group was in the woods, the two women texted waiting MS-13 members to signal the arrival.
A group of masked gang members came through a hole in the fence surrounding the wooded area, formed a semicircle around the victims, and ordered them to their knees. The attackers warned that anyone who moved would be killed, then set upon the group with machetes, knives, an axe, and wooden clubs. Four died: Justin Llivicura, 16; Michael Lopez, 20; Jorge Tigre, 18; and Jefferson Villalobos, 18. A fifth, 22-year-old Elmer Alexander Arteaga Ruiz, ran as soon as the attackers announced their intent and outran two men who chased him.
Federal prosecutors described Escobar as a “critical player” who selected the location, delivered the victims, and alerted gang members when they arrived. At the time, she was in a relationship with a high-ranking member of MS-13’s Brentwood clique, and prosecutors said she was seeking to raise her standing in the gang.
Why the Four Men Were Targeted
The killings grew out of social media posts. Two of the victims had posted photos of themselves flashing MS-13 hand signs and displaying gang imagery. Prosecutors said the posts were not evidence of real gang membership but “macho posturing” meant to look tough and impress girls. When Escobar and Gomez showed the photos to MS-13 leaders, the gang confirmed the four were not members and marked them for death over the perceived disrespect.
The Cover-Up and How Investigators Caught Her
After the killings, Escobar disposed of a sweatshirt stained with a victim’s blood and threw her cell phone from a moving vehicle while being followed by police. When detectives questioned her, she claimed she and Gomez had been victims of a random robbery in the park.
Recorded calls between Escobar and her jailed boyfriend proved especially damaging at trial. In what prosecutors called “barely coded language,” she told him that four individuals “took the train” and would never be coming back, and that she was “happy for this to happen.”2U.S. Department of Justice. MS-13 Gang Associate Convicted of Racketeering and Murders of Four Young Men in Central Islip She also bragged about her participation to other MS-13 members in the days that followed.
The Federal Trial and Conviction
Escobar was tried as an adult in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, with Judge Bianco presiding. The four-week trial featured testimony from more than a dozen gang members, several of them cooperating witnesses testifying from jail.3CBS News New York. Jury Deliberations Resume in MS-13 Trial of Leniz Escobar
Keyli Gomez, who had pleaded guilty to her own role and agreed to cooperate, testified that she and Escobar led the victims into the woods and sent text messages to the waiting attackers. Gomez told the court she had participated to gain “respect and trust” from MS-13.4Newsday. MS-13 Central Islip Killings Trial
Arteaga Ruiz, the survivor, identified Escobar in the courtroom and described how the masked attackers surrounded the group, with one shouting “Hack him!” as the violence began. On cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Siegel, he acknowledged going home to sleep after escaping and going to work the next day before eventually leading police to the scene, saying his “mind was tormented” and he wanted to be home and safe.5New York Post. Sole Survivor of MS-13 Massacre Also Belonged to Gang, Lawyer Claims The defense also presented evidence that Arteaga Ruiz had sent messages instructing others on how to join the gang and had used MS-13 hand signs on social media.
On April 11, 2022, exactly five years after the murders, the jury found Escobar guilty on all counts: racketeering, including predicate acts of murder and conspiracy to murder rival gang members; murder in aid of racketeering; and obstruction of justice.2U.S. Department of Justice. MS-13 Gang Associate Convicted of Racketeering and Murders of Four Young Men in Central Islip
The 50-Year Sentence
At the October 1, 2024 sentencing, Judge Bianco called Escobar a “critical player” at nearly every stage of the massacre and said she had “willingly and enthusiastically” helped plan and execute the killings.6Yahoo News. Woman Associated With MS-13 Sentenced
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said Escobar had “demonstrated her allegiance to the MS-13 gang by luring four young men to their slaughter” and said he hoped the sentence would bring some comfort to the victims’ families. FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy said Escobar’s post-attack bragging “exemplifies her perverted prioritization of gang status over human life.”7CBS News New York. Leniz Escobar MS-13 La Diablita Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison
Siegel described Escobar as a “model prisoner” who earned her high school diploma while incarcerated and had spent her time helping other inmates, something she considered “her calling.” Judge Bianco acknowledged that Escobar had suffered abuse as a child. The 50-year term stood.8Newsday. La Diablita Central Islip Park Murders Sentence
How Her Sentence Compares to Her Co-Defendants’
More than a dozen MS-13 members and associates were charged in the Central Islip murders. The longest sentences went to the men prosecutors identified as the drivers of the attack:
- Josue Portillo, called the “driving force” behind the attack, devised the plan to use female associates to lure the victims. He was 15 at the time, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced in June 2019 to 55 years, plus $24,000 in funeral costs to the victims’ families.9Newsday. MS-13 Machete Murders Central Islip
- Omar Antonio Villalta (“Anticristo”) helped formulate the plan and distributed weapons, then fled to Virginia and took part in another murder that July. He pleaded guilty in March 2023 and received 55 years.10U.S. Department of Justice. MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 55 Years in Prison for Murders of Four Young Men in Central Islip Park
- Freiry Martinez pleaded guilty to racketeering and was sentenced to 50 years. The Second Circuit dismissed his appeal in 2021 after finding his plea agreement’s appeal waiver enforceable.11FindLaw. United States v. Martinez
- Anderson Sanchez, who was 17 and co-indicted with Escobar, pleaded guilty to racketeering in December 2021 and received 32 years.12Newsday. MS-13 Quadruple Homicide Central Islip
- Keyli Gomez, 16 at the time of the murders, cooperated extensively with prosecutors and was sentenced on February 24, 2025 to 12 years. She had been in custody since 2017. Judge Bianco noted at her sentencing that if she were deported to El Salvador on release, she would likely be killed for her cooperation.13Yahoo News. L.I. Woman Lured 4 Victims
- Alexis Hernandez received 29 years. Other charged participants included Edwin Rodriguez, Sergio Segovia-Pineda, and Henry Salmeron.10U.S. Department of Justice. MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 55 Years in Prison for Murders of Four Young Men in Central Islip Park
Escobar’s 50-year term places her among the most heavily sentenced defendants in the case, below only Portillo and Villalta and matching Martinez. Gomez, who played a similar luring role but cooperated and testified against Escobar, received 12 years.