A Prince William County grand jury indicted five Virginia teenagers, including two minors, on multiple charges, including lynching, on Dec. 3.
All five were charged in connection with the killing of 24-year-old Reynaldo Eliazar Araujo on Aug. 30.
The five teens went to Araujo’s apartment in the 10,000 block on Massie Street in Manassas, Virginia, around 2 a.m. intending to rob him, Fox News reported.
تم النشر بواسطة Reynaldo Araujo في الثلاثاء، ٧ فبراير ٢٠١٢
When police arrived at the scene, they found the apartment door riddled with bullet holes and Aruajo’s dead body on the floor inside.
Manassas police have not stated whether Araujo was chosen at random or was known by his assailants.
Araujo’s Facebook page shows a young man proud to be a father and a son, but also proud of his aggressive attitude.
A friend posted on his Facebook page, “I am so sorry for you namcy was the one that put the hit on you,rest in peace my friend, you are with god now ,ice will take care of nancy for you.”
تم النشر بواسطة Reynaldo Araujo في الخميس، ٢٨ يونيو ٢٠١٨
The Manassas police did not comment on whether they or the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency were investigating a potentially undocumented alien named Nancy in connection with the crime.
Arrested and Charged With Multiple Felonies
Police arrested Terrance Tyrese Martin, 18; Ebelin Jojana Lopez, 19; and Seni Jimenez Blanco, 19 on robbery charges on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
One of the minors was seized by U.S. Marshals at the border in McAllen, Texas, on Sept.5, WJLA reported.
All five of the suspects have been indicted for lynching.
In Virginia, “lynching” is defined as “any act of violence by a mob upon the body of any person, which shall result in the death of such person,” and is treated the same as second-degree murder.
One of the two 17-year-old juveniles was also charged with murder.
The two 17-year-old minors will be tried as adults, according to a Manassas City Police Department press release.
All five were charged with multiple secondary offenses, including conspiracy to commit armed robbery and wearing a mask in public. The four not charged with murder were instead charged with attempted armed robbery.
Jay Lanham, executive director of the Northern Virginia regional gang task force, told Fox News the five were probably trying to earn “street cred”—reputations as violent, aggressive people. Likely the killing was gang–related.
“What we do know is these younger generations are trying to make a name for themselves, so some of the crimes they are committing are very gruesome, are very violent just so they can build their own reputation because that is what gangs are about—building a reputation of being the baddest gang in the area,” Lanham explained.
“They have no problem committing the crimes they’re committing and the violence that goes along with it and that’s scary. That should be scary for anyone,” he added.
