The Summit County courtroom saw the beginning of an intense trial this week as 59-year-old Elias Gudino faces numerous charges related to the kidnapping and murder of three Youngstown men last year. Details are unfolding in a case that began back in March 2023, when police discovered a trio of victims who had been bound, gagged, and fatally shot. The trial commenced on Monday, according to Cleveland19.
Authorities say that the bodies were found in two locations within Summit County. Two victims, identified as Inmer Reyes, 25, and Victor Varela-Rodriguez, 31, were located in Akron, and the third, Domingo Castillo-Reyes, 35, was discovered in Copley. In a turn of events, the sole survivor escaped death by pretending to be dead after a bullet grazed his head, WKYC reported.
Gudino is facing serious charges, including six counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder, and four counts of kidnapping. Incidentally found by police while searching for witnesses, the surviving victim identified the suspect at a gas station. Following the identification, Gudino was taken into custody, as per the statement obtained by WKYC.
Adding to the gravity of the case are the details that surfaced during opening statements. "All three individuals were found on the side of the road with blue duct tape around their heads, wrists tied," said Zachary Neumann, the assistant Summit County prosecutor. "Later determined that they had 'MS 13' written on their chests, and they all suffered single gunshot wounds to the head," relayed by News 5 Cleveland. Meanwhile, the defense posits that Gudino was a hostage himself, taken by a drug cartel, arguing the question of whether he was "the fifth hostage or the mastermind."
