Two El Salvador illegal immigrats, Miguel Alvarez-Flores, Diego Hernandez-Rivera kidnap teens, murder one in Satanic ritual
Two illegal immigrants from El Salvador, reportedly part of the MS-13 gang (Mara Salvatrucha), have been arrested and charged with the kidnapping of three teen girls and murdering one in part of a “satanic ritual.” In a short video from court, both men were happy, smiling and even waved at the camera.
Houston police stated Friday that Miguel Alvarez-Flores, 22, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera, 18, have been arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and murder. The two men now face up to life imprisonment.
A 15-year-old girl’s body was found Feb. 16 with gunshot wounds to the face and chest. While homicide detective Sgt. Chris Sturdivant said the girl’s identity has not been officially determined but that investigators are confident they know who she is — a girl reported missing in January in nearby Jersey Village, Texas.
The captives were three “young, impressionable women” ranging in age from 14 to 16 who were seduced by the gang members before being taken to an apartment and held there against their will, Sturdivant said. The 14-year-old girl told investigators that they were given drugs and alcohol and forced to have sex.
The girl said the 15-year-old was killed in a satanic ritual because she had struck the gang’s shrine to a satanic saint, according to investigators.
“He returned from the statue and told the entire group that the beast did not want a material offering but wanted a soul,” state District Judge Maria Jackson said during the men’s initial court appearance Wednesday.
Miguel Alvarez-Flores and Diego Hernandez-Rivera in court photo/ screenshot of video coverage
The 14-year-old said she later awoke to find the 15-year-old gone, according to investigators.
“The majority of the MS-13 members we come into contact with are here illegally,” Sturdivant said of the men’s immigration status.
Sturdivant said both men admitted their involvement in the abductions and killing after their arrests Monday.
An FBI multijurisdictional anti-gang task force continues to investigate, and Sturdivant said authorities are seeking other gang members who were possibly involved in the crimes.
MS-13, also called Mara Salvatrucha, is believed to have been founded in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s by immigrants fleeing civil war in El Salvador. It is now a major international criminal enterprise.
