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May 17, 4:06 PM EDT

2 of 4 convicted in Va. gang slaying

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Two members of the MS-13 street gang were convicted Tuesday of murdering a pregnant teenager who had become an informant. Two others were acquitted of all charges.

One of those acquitted was Denis Rivera, who prosecutors said masterminded the slaying of his former girlfriend, 17-year-old Brenda Paz.

On Monday, the jury will hear evidence in the sentencing phase of the case against the two who were convicted, Ismael Juarez Cisneros and Oscar Antonio Grande. Both could get the death penalty.

Paz was found stabbed to death on the banks of the Shenandoah River in 2003, just weeks after she left the federal Witness Protection Program. She was to have testified in a murder case against Rivera, who was in jail at the time.

Rivera's attorneys argued that numerous gang members wanted Paz dead for snitching, and that a gang leader in Texas gave the order to kill her.

Prosecutors played recordings of jailhouse conversations between Rivera and others and said they were using gang slang and code words to order Paz's death.

The other gang member who was acquitted - Oscar Garcia-Orellana - admitted he was present at Paz's killing but denied he participated. Prosecutors argued that he held Paz by the throat while two others stabbed her more than a dozen times.
Rivera was convicted in that earlier murder case, despite Paz's slaying, and is serving life in prison.