Twisted: Murder Suspect, a Self-Described MS-13 Member, is Awfully Handy With a Knife
By Ray Stern in Crime Blotter
Fri., Nov. 27 2009 @ 3:24PM


On the mean streets of El Salvador back in the '90s, a young girl learned how to turn a knife in a victim in order to avoid being covered in a torrent of blood. Now 27, the self-described MS-13 gang member stands accused of putting that skill to use.

Mesa police say Sindy Nohemi Ventura killed Vicente Villegas Guarneros on November 15 inside an apartment near Country Club Drive and Brown Road. Gary Grado of the East Valley Tribune related the twisted tale in a recent article, describing how a tipster told police that Ventura had confessed to her gruesome handiwork. An autopsy supported the allegation of knife-twisting.

Police seek charges of second-degree murder.

Court records show Ventura, a "suspected illegal immigrant," the Trib says, was stopped by Phoenix police in July of 2008 and cited for improper license plate lights, expired registration and not having a driver's license. A month before that, Prescott Valley Municipal Court records show she was cited on an unspecified "local charge" and not having a driver's license. North Mesa Justice Court records show she was cited on a criminal traffic charge in January of 2009.

In all of these cases, it appears that Ventura blew off her legal responsibilities. But given her background, that's understandable. How to Evade Traffic Tickets is probably taught in the MS-13 beginner's class, long before the knife training.

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