Jonathan Leon-Chacon, the fourth and final defendant tied to the MS-13 linked ambush that killed 19-year-old Willians Anderson Alberto Cruz, was sentenced last Friday to 75 years in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Prosecutors say the shooting unfolded shortly before 4 a.m. on Nov. 9, 2022, at the Northwest Park Apartments on Colony Road in Silver Spring, when two men opened fire on a group they mistakenly believed had defaced gang graffiti. The recent sentencings close a multi-year probe that resulted in rarely used gang-participation charges in the county, as per WTOP.
Final co-defendant receives lengthy term
As reported by WTOP, Leon-Chacon, 28, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and participation in a criminal organization resulting in death. A judge sentenced him to 75 years. Prosecutors said Leon-Chacon waited in the getaway vehicle with co-defendant Elvin Guzman-Machado while two others opened fire on the group. With his sentencing, prosecutors say the criminal cases tied to the Nov. 9, 2022 ambush are now resolved.
Earlier convictions led to life terms
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, two of the shooters, Junior Francisco Del-Cid and Elmer Lopez-Cortez, were each sentenced earlier to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Guzman-Machado received a life term plus additional years. The office stated that jurors convicted the defendants on counts including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and participation in a criminal organization resulting in death. MS-13 Gang Members Convicted previously covered the initial jury verdicts.
Prosecutors describe the ambush
Prosecutors told jurors that Del-Cid and Lopez-Cortez opened fire on four people standing in a parking lot near a wooded area, killing Cruz and wounding two others. Witnesses estimated the shooters fired between 15 and 20 rounds. The state argued that the defendants believed the victims had defaced MS-13 graffiti, even though none of the four had ties to the gang. Those details emerged during a three-week trial that led to the guilty verdicts in August 2024, as reported by Bethesda Magazine.
Investigation and law enforcement response
County prosecutors credited Montgomery County Police gang investigators and a cross-border task force that included the FBI Baltimore Field Office with helping identify the suspects and build the case, according to local coverage. Officials said investigators used surveillance footage, witness interviews, and forensic work to link the men to MS-13 and to the shooting. Prosecutors view the series of convictions as part of a broader effort to disrupt gang retaliation in the region, according to Montgomery Community Media.
Legal significance and next steps
Prosecutors have highlighted that jurors convicted the defendants on the rarely used charge of participation in a criminal organization resulting in death, a count that can carry life sentences, underscoring how seriously the state treated the ambush. The State’s Attorney’s Office publicly thanked its law enforcement partners and said the outcome reflects sustained investigative work over several years. Defense attorneys in earlier hearings signaled plans to appeal in some of the cases, and one attorney told local media that his client maintains his innocence.
State’s Attorney John McCarthy has said the neighborhood had been “terrorized by MS-13 for a very long time,” language prosecutors echoed while discussing the case in news briefings. Officials described the recent sentences as a step toward restoring safety in the affected communities, while cautioning that monitoring and enforcement targeting gang activity in the area will continue.
