Virginia Beach police say murder victim was also illegal immigrant

Two illegal immigrants accused of murdering a Virginia Beach man await trial
Virginia Beach police say the man that was shot and killed by Isidor Amaya and Alberto Loredo is also an illegal immigrant.

Police say Amaya and Loredo shot and killed 40-year-old Florentino Martinez-Melendez and critically wounded another illegal immigrant in the Trailer City mobile home park in Virginia Beach on Saturday.

Amaya and Loredo are both facing murder charges for shooting and killing Melendez. The Virginia Beach Commonwealth Attorney, Harvey Bryant, says both men will be tried in Virginia Beach for murder even though they are both illegal immigrants from Mexico.

"We go through the process of the trial, if they are found guilty during sentencing they will spend time in a Virginia penitentiary until they have completed their sentence, if there is a sentence to complete, that meaning that they don't get life," Bryant said.

According to Bryant, Amaya and Loredo do not have a criminal history here in Virginia. He says both have been living and also working in Virginia for awhile - in fact, Amaya has lived and worked in Virginia for a decade.

"It appears that Mr. Amaya has been in Virginia for about 10 years, spending his time between Harrisburg, Virginia and here," Bryant said.

Immigration Customs and Enforcement, or ICE, has been notified that both Amaya and Loredo are illegal immigrants.

An ICE spokesperson in Washington D.C. says they have put a hold on both men, meaning if they do bail out, they won't be released, but will instead be put in ICE custody.

Amaya and Loredo both face charges of murder and the use of a firearm. Both men are being held in the Virginia Beach Correctional Facility without bond.

Their preliminary hearing is set for February 4.
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