Santos Amador Ríos testified against his brother Melvi Amador Ríos in the dramatic trial he faces for brutal crimes by the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang in New York.
The brother of the alleged leader of MS-13 in Queens (NYC) testified as a witness in the federal trial, describing how the bloody murder and near beheading of a low-level gang member, teenager Julio Vásquez (16) in 2017.
Santos Amador Ríos, 33, a member of the “Centrales Locos Salvatruchas” (CLS), an MS-13 clique, said at his brother’s trial in the Brooklyn Federal Court that he wanted to change his life and “leave all the bad behind”.
I love him very much, but there is nothing I can do.”
“I love him very much, you know, but faith has put us here,” he said of testifying against his younger brother, who faces murder and extortion charges. “It’s not that I want to do what I’m doing right now, but I can’t rot in jail. he knows and I know I love him very much, but there is nothing I can do.”
Santos testified all day Friday, describing himself as one of 14 siblings, and spoke about how joined Melvi (32) in several robberiessummarized Daily News. The current witness grew up in Honduras while his brother lived in the US, and when Santos arrived in Queens, his family ties allowed him to join MS-13 as a mid-level “home boy,” even though he hadn’t proven himself with homicide.
While already in prison, in September 2019 Amador Ríos, Josué Leiva and Luis Rivas pleaded “not guilty” for the death of Vásquez.
Amador Ríos is accused of ordering the Vasquez’s brutal murder in 2017 in a Queens park, as well as ordering the death of another teenager, Louis Serrano, who was shot in the face and left paralyzed. He also planned four armed robberies at Queens businesses, prosecutors allege.
Assistant District Attorney Raffaela Belizaire has said that every murder committed by the MS-13 “cab” in Queens went through the Amador Ríos warrant, who as a leader he was responsible for enforcing the gang’s rules. Those rules included killing rivals and “traitorous” gang members whenever possible, and never talking to the police.
Murray Singer, defense attorney for Melvi Amador Ríos, launched an unusual argument to the jury in the trial that began on July 24. He admitted that the defendant is a gang member, but told the jury that would not be enough to convict him. “It is not a crime to be affiliated with MS-13… Being a member of MS-13 is not a crime”he claimed.
Last week the jury heard from another cooperating witness, José González Rivera, who explained how Amador Ríos and others they beat him up when he joined the gang, and said the leader put him to work selling marijuana. When asked about the consequences he would face for cooperating with the government, he sadly replied: “Certain death.”
Long Island and Queens are two of the areas with the highest presence of Mara Salvatrucha in the USA, where they are attributed dozens of murders and disappearances. The Central American origin group is associated with recruit young men and women, mostly of Latino origin.
All charges are mere accusations and those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
