Thread: Suspected MS13 gang member killed by rival gang

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Suspected MS13 gang member killed by rival gang

05:48 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 7, 2006
By Karla Barguiarena / 11 News

On any given summer evening this is what neighbors in this Montrose area park do.

Kids swinging, dogs sipping and neighbors talking about their days.

It’s hard to imagine just a few hours earlier, it was the scene of a horrific turf war between two Houston street gangs.

“It was extremely chaotic. There were probably two dozen people here. It was complete mayhem,” said a neighborhood resident.

The neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified, said he was just steps away from it all.

Police said three teenage gang members were standing in the park when they were ambushed by a group from a rival gang.

“I saw 20 to 25 kids running back and forth with baseball bats, one with a machete,” another neighbor said.

Houston police said the three males were surrounded by anywhere from 20 to 30 males who were affiliated with another gang.

They were armed with baseball bats, tire irons, golf clubs and other weapons, HPD said.

A 14-year-old boy, Gabriel Granillo, was beaten and stabbed so severely, he died on the scene. Investigators believe he was a member of the MS 13 gang.

Homicide investigators believe he was stabbed by a white female with shoulder length blond hair who is between 16 and 17 years old. They said she is 5 feet 5 inches tall.

“She was standing on my front yard and she was patting people on the back and saying ‘go’ as they were coming and going,” said a neighbor.

Some of the teens were wearing Lamar High School T-shirts. All of them escaped minutes before police arrived.

“If I do come back here, I will make sure there is a lot of people around so it would decrease the chance of anything happening,” said neighbor Billy Fenimore.

A chance neighbors said is now more possible than ever.

Is there any chance they might kill each other until there are no more?

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropo ... 48940.html

June 8, 2006, 2:17PM



PARK SLAYING AFTERMATH
Girl, 15, arrested in gang-related death
Police step up patrols near park amid officials' fears of retaliation
By MIKE GLENN and JENNIFER RADCLIFFE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Houston police arrested a 15-year-old girl Wednesday night in the stabbing death Tuesday of a boy who police said was the victim of a rival gang.

"They did arrest a 15-year-old suspect. She has been arrested," HPD spokesman Alvin Wright said late Wednesday. He identified the girl as a suspect in the death of Gabriel Granillo. She was arrested at her home.

Meanwhile, police stepped up patrols in the neighborhood surrounding a Montrose park where Granillo, identified as having a gang affiliation, was beaten and fatally stabbed by rival gang members.

Officials are concerned that Granillo's death may spark episodes of violent retaliation at Ervan Chew Park, a popular neighborhood park in the 4500 block of Dunlavy, "even though we believe this (killing) to be an isolated incident," HPD Capt. Dwayne Ready said.

Granillo, identified by police as being 14 but whose family say was 15, was with two unidentified youths, including at least one thought to be a gang member, when they were ambushed at 2:30 p.m. at the park, HPD detectives said.

On Tuesday, police said they thought Granillo was in a gang, but on Wednesday said he was "affiliated" with a gang. The teen's family said Wednesday that he was linked with MS-13, which began in Los Angeles among Central American immigrants and now has tens of thousands of members spread throughout Latin America and the U.S.

About 20 to 30 members, primarily Hispanic, of a rival gang surrounded Granillo and attacked with several weapons, including baseball bats, tire irons and golf clubs.

The motive for the slaying remains unknown but investigators think the attack was planned. Because the larger group approached Granillo and the other teens from two sides, Ready said the assault appeared to be premeditated. "This wasn't just one of your random crimes of opportunity."

Although police have characterized the slaying as an ambush, a witness saw Granillo arrive at the park with a baseball bat in hand. Within minutes, he said, friends joined Granillo and the two other boys.

The witness, who did not want to be identified, said the two groups chased each other across the park several times before running into a nearby neighborhood, where they smashed car windows and slashed tires. The scene lasted "an intense 10 minutes," the witness said. "It just kept going back and forth," the witness recalled. "It was like they were fighting over the park."

After he was stabbed, Granillo stumbled about halfway through the park before collapsing near a sidewalk.

"It looked like he tripped over his own feet. He fell down and he never got up," the teenage witness said. "People were just running by him."

Police had described the person who stabbed Granillo as a young white female, about 5-feet-5 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds. She has shoulder-length blond hair and was wearing a navy blue shirt and blue jeans, police said.

"We also believe there were a couple of Hispanic females with the larger group," Ready said.


Girls in gangs 'not new'
Though some may think street-gang membership is restricted to young men, police officials said that's not the case.

"There is a misconception about gangs that they're only juvenile males," Ready said. "Having a female be a gang member is not something new. It's less common than male gang members, but not new."

Granillo's last known address, police said, was at a Houston apartment complex in the 6200 block of West Bellfort, more than 10 miles from the park. It wasn't clear why he and the two others were at the park at the time, Ready said.

The two youths with Granillo are cooperating with investigators, Ready said.

"They have obtained some information (but) I can't go into the details," he said.

Some of the youths who attacked Granillo wore clothes with Lamar High School insignia but police didn't know whether they were students.

"I can't say with any certainty what high school they go to," Ready said. "I can only tell you with certainty that some of the individuals involved had attire that indicated Lamar High School on it."


School's gang policy
Students at Lamar High School say there are several youth gangs on campus.

"I see a lot of them wearing their colors and stuff," said Yousef Qutob, 16, a junior. "I don't see too many problems or too many fights, but I do see them throwing up gang signs."

Other students say they feel safe because administrators have cracked down on suspicious activity — including sending fighting students to alternative schools and ordering outsiders off campus.

"This school is very safe. They're really strict," Oyuki Lopez, 17, said. "Once they find out you're doing something bad, that's it — you're gone."

Lopez was disappointed that some of her fellow students may have been involved in the fatal fight, which happened less than 30 minutes after the first day of summer school dismissed.

"It's like they're fighting over the stupidest things you can think of," Lopez said.

HISD spokesman Terry Abbott would not comment about suspected gang activity at Lamar High or whether any students may have been involved in the ambush. "I can only say that our police increased patrols in the area," Abbott said.

Harris County Constables beefed up patrols and were circling the campus Wednesday afternoon, alongside district and city police officers.

"We're simply developing leads and we'll go wherever they lead us," Ready said.

Anyone with information is asked to call HPD at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

Chronicle reporter Anne Marie Kilday contributed to this report.

mike.glenn@chron.com

jennifer.radcliffe@chron.com



http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 55839.html

June 9, 2006, 10:10PM



Girl admits stabbing, police say
The 16-year-old charged in slaying of boy spoke about it to friends and officers, they say
By DALE LEZON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

A 16-year-old girl accused of stabbing a boy during a Montrose-area gang fight told acquaintances about the fatal incident and later acknowledged it to police, investigators said.

Ashley Paige Benton, who witnesses say was among at least 20 people involved in the fight, told officers she was the only one who stabbed the teen, a Harris County prosecutor said Friday in a juvenile court hearing. Benton remains in custody on a juvenile court charge of murder.

Police said they learned from Benton's classmates at Lamar High School that she had told them about the Tuesday afternoon fight in which Gabriel Granillo was killed.

After hearing prosecutors relate police findings about the incident, Associate Judge Beverly Malazzo concluded Friday that Benton should remain in custody.

The teen did not attend the hearing but is scheduled to attend a detention hearing Monday, when a judge will decide whether she should be released to her parents' custody.

Her attorney, Rick DeToto, said he expects Benton to plead "that she did not engage in delinquent conduct" — the juvenile court equivalent of a not-guilty plea.

District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said his office will decide later, on the basis of the evidence, whether to request that Benton be tried as an adult.

She was taken into custody late Wednesday at her home in the 1700 block of Lexington, a short distance from the park where Granillo and two others were attacked in what police said was a battle between rival gangs.


Crazy Crew gang
The incident happened about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Ervan Chew Park, 4500 Dunlavy. Granillo's brother Steven, 17, and a friend, Jean Villatoro, 19, said they were cruising in the area with Gabriel, whose family gave his age as 15, and decided to stop at the park.

The two survivors said they were not looking for trouble, but soon were surrounded by more than two dozen teens claiming to be part of the Crazy Crew gang. Family members said they suspect that the Granillo brothers had links to Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, an especially violent gang with roots in El Salvador.

Police said the larger group attacked with baseball bats, golf clubs and tire irons. Steven Granillo said he and his companions fended off most of the blows, but that a blond girl sneaked up on Gabriel and stabbed him several times in the chest. He died in the park.

Witnesses said the attackers scattered, with the girl running to a sport utility vehicle that drove away.

In Friday's hearing, Assistant District Attorney Jo Poenitzsch told the judge that Benton told police she was the sole participant in the stabbing. According to documents presented by Poenitzsch, Benton also said that one of the three men who were attacked swung a bat at her just before the stabbing. It was not clear whether it was Granillo who swung the bat.

The Medical Examiner's Office concluded that Granillo died of a stab wound.

DeToto, Benton's attorney, did not speak during the hearing. He said afterward that, though he could not discuss details of the case, evidence will show that Benton reacted after Granillo swung a bat at her. DeToto said it did not appear that Benton was injured in the fight.

He also said he was concerned about Benton's statements to police because she did not have an attorney present. He said he will look into how police interviewed her, to make sure they did not pressure her to confess.

Poenitzsch would not comment after the hearing.


Other suspects sought
Police are trying to identify the others involved in the fight, said Alvin Wright, a Houston Police Department spokesman. Tips from Crime Stoppers and witnesses led police to Benton.

DeToto said he may not seek Benton's release at Monday's detention hearing because of fear that gang members may retaliate against her. Benton's mother also fears retaliation and is not staying in her home near the park, he said.

Police asked that anyone who knows the identities of people who were at the park during the fight call 713-308-3600.

dale.lezon@chron.com

And with El Presidente Bushero's open border policy it will get much worse. Our streets are now controlled by illegal aliens, are no longer safe for tax paying LEGAL citizens and Vincente Bush doesn't give a rat's ass what happens to Americans.

June 17, 2007, 11:55PM
Court braces for gangs as stabbing trial begins
Security tight as Benton trial begins


By BRIAN ROGERS
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle


When Ashley Benton walked out of jail almost a year ago after posting bail, she was surrounded by six deputies and escorted to a car because of a death threat from one of the world's most notorious and violent street gangs: MS-13.

As the 17-year-old girl's trial for fatally stabbing 15-year-old Gabriel Granillo in a Montrose-area gang fight begins today, authorities in the downtown criminal courthouse are bracing for gang members from both sides to attend as witnesses and spectators.

As Benton walked through the courthouse for pretrial hearings last week, she was escorted by two deputies, for her protection, her attorney said.

Benton was associated with the gang Crazy Crew when a fight erupted in Chew Park in June 2006 with members of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, of which Granillo was a member.

Benton has said she stabbed Granillo in self-defense after the boy swung a bat at her in the middle of the melee. She is charged with murder.

Prosecutors and the defense have said they will emphasize the teens' gang connections, and expect to call gang members to testify.


Violent reputation
MS-13 recently was implicated in a massacre in Honduras that left 28 people dead in 2004. In Houston, MS-13 has a violent presence that includes robbing, killing and human smuggling, said Caroline Dozier, one of the gang experts in the District Attorney's Office.
Like other gangs, she said, MS-13 is known for drug trafficking, carjacking and smuggling in illegal immigrants.

"Yes, they're dangerous. Yes, they're bad," Dozier said. "Just like any other criminal street gang, they're bad."

Crazy Crew is a small Hispanic gang in Houston's Montrose area, with membership passed from fathers and uncles to teenage boys, Dozier said. Because girls aren't allowed in Crazy Crew, Benton wasn't a member but was friends with alleged gang members, her attorneys have said.

MS-13 gang members are likely to wear jeans and T-shirts or jerseys with the gang's colors, blue and white, Dozier said.


Trend away from tattoos
She said active members generally range from age 15 to 25. And because MS-13 is moving away from tattooing, newer members might not have any.
Dozier said it's possible that none will show, because so many are in the country illegally, generally from Honduras and El Salvador, and don't want to risk deportation.

In a murder case last year, in which one MS-13 gang member testified against another, Dozier said none of the gang appeared to attend.

Should gang members appear upstairs, the Sheriff's Office will have extra personnel in and around the courtroom.

"Security is going to be a big concern," said sheriff's spokesman Lt. John Martin. He said the hallway in front of the courtroom will be cordoned off and spectators and witnesses will be "wanded" with a handheld metal detector.

The measure is a "redundancy" Martin said, because people entering the courthouse pass though an airport-like checkpoint with metal detectors and X-ray machines. County employees and some other courthouse workers don't have to pass through the detectors.

Besides additional bailiffs, Martin said he expects to involve the sheriff's Emergency Response Team, a small band of officers sometimes clad in military-style fatigues. He said the officers would probably wear regular uniforms in court.

Martin said cases warranting "heightened" security are common and ERT officers escort defendants, especially in capital murder cases, from their cell to the courtroom.


Security often upgraded
He said about 25 cases now have heightened security. Defendants in those cases may only come to court for a few minutes once a month. Others are in trial every day for weeks.
The Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office is responsible for security in the lobby and the area surrounding the Criminal Justice Center, while a private firm, Initial Security, runs the metal detectors at the front door.

"There will be an added presence (for Benton's trial), some of it seen and some of it not seen," said constable's Lt. Bill Ruland.

Additional officers will act as "spotters" in the lobby and through the courthouse to watch for troublemakers in the crush of people entering the courthouse every day at 9 a.m. He also expects foot and bike patrol officers outside to guard against a potential gang fight. Bomb-detecting dogs also will be involved, Ruland said.

Lead defense attorney Rick DeToto, who picked Benton up from jail when she was released last August, said deputies told him a "hit" had been issued on her in retaliation for Granillo's stabbing. He said armed deputies walked them to his car and stopped traffic as he drove away.

"It was pretty nerve-wracking," DeToto said. "And that carries over when things start heating up again."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 97537.html