A Silver Spring man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing his 19-year-old brother-in-law and leaving his body in the woods behind a Piney Branch Road bus stop. Abraham Luna Perez was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Diego Edilberto Borja Cardona, who prosecutors say was struck at least four times in the head before his body was dumped and discovered three days later.
A Chilling Text Before the Killing
According to DC News Now, Luna Perez and Borja Cardona lived together with another roommate in a home described as sitting behind the woods. Court evidence shows that roommate received a text message from Luna Perez stating that he planned to kill Borja Cardona, shortly before hearing loud noises coming from Borja Cardona's bedroom. The roommate told police he had witnessed a brief altercation between the two men before they went to sleep that night, per the same account.
Per the outlet's reporting, Luna Perez later told the roommate that Borja Cardona was dead, then instructed him to help move the body to the area behind the bus stop. The two left the body in the woods, where it was found three days later. Montgomery County's medical examiner determined Borja Cardona died from blunt-force trauma to the head, with investigators concluding he had been struck a minimum of four times, the station notes.
From Murder Charge to Manslaughter Conviction
As reported by MoCo360, Montgomery County police had initially charged Luna Perez with first-degree murder in connection with the case. Officers responded to a report of a dead person in a wooded area behind a bus stop in the 9300 block of Piney Branch Road on Oct. 22, 2024, where Borja Cardona was pronounced dead at the scene, according to that outlet.
The case moved through the courts for nearly two years before Luna Perez was convicted of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter on August 4, 2026. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, as reported by WUSA9, which identified Luna Perez and Borja Cardona as brothers-in-law who had lived together on Quebec Terrace with a third roommate who was a minor.
Conflicting Ages, Same Outcome
Records on Luna Perez's age vary across official accounts of the case. Police identified him as 26 years old at the time of his arrest, according to a Montgomery County Police Department release, while the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office listed him as 28 at the time of the guilty verdict. DC News Now's sentencing report, however, referred to him as 29-year-old Abraham Luna Perez of Silver Spring.
Under Maryland law, voluntary manslaughter is classified as a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, or by up to two years in a local correctional facility, a fine of up to $500, or both, according to the Maryland General Assembly's statute text. Luna Perez's 10-year sentence falls at the maximum end of that range.
