Photo: Alamy
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has authorized federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against three alleged MS-13 gang members accused of killing a cooperating witness in Los Angeles, according to a memo obtained by the Washington Examiner.
In the Wednesday memo, Blanche directed First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli to pursue capital punishment for Roberto Carlos Aguilar, Dennis Anaya Urias and Grevil Zelaya Santiago.
The three men are charged in federal complaints with murder in aid of racketeering in connection with the killing of a victim, authorities say, who was cooperating in a federal investigation.
According to prosecutors, the victim had been “green lit” by MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha-13, after gang members learned he had been assisting law enforcement.
Court records say Urias, 26, and Santiago, 25, are accused of carrying out the shooting at a grocery store in South Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2025. Investigators say Aguilar, 30, encountered the victim inside the store about an hour before the killing and helped set the events in motion.
Authorities said the victim called law enforcement twice that evening, reporting that MS-13 members had tried to kill him after a gun malfunctioned. During the second call, multiple gunshots could be heard in the background, according to the Justice Department.
All three defendants face charges of murder in aid of racketeering, a federal crime punishable by a mandatory life sentence and possible execution if convicted. Prosecutors allege the killing was carried out to avoid punishment within the gang or to boost the defendants’ standing.
Aguilar, who court documents identify as an immigrant from El Salvador living in the country illegally, is charged in a separate complaint. Urias is a lawful permanent resident, and Santiago has a pending visa application.
The three men appeared initially in federal court in Los Angeles, where a magistrate judge ordered them held without bond. Their arraignments are scheduled for June 3.
Blanche’s decision came days after former Attorney General Pam Bondi left the Justice Department. According to the Washington Examiner, a source said Bondi had not made a final decision on whether prosecutors should seek the death penalty.
A final decision on capital punishment typically follows an internal Justice Department review before reaching the attorney general for approval.