Final MS-13 member sentenced in deadly, gang-related, ambush shooting of 16-year-old, DA says

The teenager was reportedly shot more than 15 times as he sat on a park bench back in 2016

Final MS-13 member sentenced in deadly, gang-related, ambush shooting of 16-year-old, DA says (Copyright 2022 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved)

MISSOURI CITY, Texas – The last suspected MS-13 gang member believed to have been involved in the ambush murder of a 16-year-old back in 2016 has been sentenced, documents state.

According to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg’s office, Daniel Arturo Orellana, who was 20 at the time of the shooting, admitted to police that he had been a lookout during the murder.

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The victim, Estuar Quinonez, who was also said to have been involved with gangs, was murdered after he was reportedly lured to Buffalo Run Park in Missouri City, investigators revealed. Quinonez was ambushed, then shot more than 15 times as he sat on a bench, police say.

Officials say Quinonez had previously witnessed several other gang-related murders and those who took his life did so to ensure he would never talk.

“We have spent years fighting for justice for the victim of the treacherous ambush, and we are satisfied that everyone involved has been held responsible,” Ogg said. “His guilty plea ensures he can’t appeal his conviction and that the victim’s family can mourn their loss with the knowledge that his sentence is final.”

Orellana was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Below are the additional gang members and their convictions:

  • Gang member Douglas Alexander Herrera-Hernandez, also known as “Terror,” was sentenced to life in prison without parole for capital murder on May 1, 2021.
  • Gang member Jose Guerra Sibrian was sentenced to 50 years in prison for murder on June 17, 2021.
  • Omar Torres, a gang leader who directed the ambush from behind bars in the Harris County Jail, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for capital murder on Sept. 16, 2021.
  • Gang member Darwin Josue Lopez-Ramos was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murder on Nov. 11, 2021.
  • Gang member Luis Gonzalez Cruz, who drove the victim to the park where he was killed, was sentenced to life in prison for murder on Nov. 12, 2021.
  • Gang member Kelvin Hernandez was sentenced to 35 years for murder on Feb. 11, 2022.

MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, is a transnational gang that began in Los Angeles and has members across the United States, according to the DA’s office.