January Killing Tied To Central American Gang
BSO Says Man Killed As Revenge For Brother Of Gang Member's Slaying

POSTED: 7:40 am EDT September 18, 2007

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. -- Broward Sheriff's Office detectives investigating a January killing believe revenge led a known gang member to kill one of his associates in unincorporated Broward County. Now they're releasing a sketch of the man in the hopes that someone can identify him or provide information on his whereabouts.

About 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14, BSO deputies responded to reports of gunshots heard in the 4300 block of Southwest 25th Street. When they arrived, they found Neelson Jhonatan Pineda-Menjivar, 21, dead under a tree near a canal.

Following investigative leads, BSO homicide detectives arrested Sergio Perra, 19, in New Jersey on Wednesday and charged him as an accessory to murder, but they are still searching for the gunman, identified only as "Kevin," who also goes by "Satanas" or "Esponja."

According to the BSO, Kevin and Perra picked up Pineda-Menjivar from his aunt's home Jan.14 and took him for a ride so they could talk. The pair then took Pineda-Menjivar to where his body was found, according to the BSO.

Homicide detectives said Kevin shot Pineda-Menjivar because he killed Kevin's brother in El Salvador.

Kevin is believed to be a member of the MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha-13, a gang involved in criminal activities in Central America and the United States, according to the BSO. The gang is made up of Salvadorians and Hondurans with more than 100,000 members who participate in drug smuggling and sales, black market gun sales, human trafficking, murders-for-hire, theft and assaults on law enforcement officers.

In September 2005, the FBI initiated a wide-scale raid against suspected members, netting almost 700 arrests across the country.

Detectives are looking for the getaway vehicle that Kevin was believed to have sold within a week of Pineda-Menjivar's death. It is described as a late 1990s or early 2000 model Ford Taurus with four doors and tinted windows.

Kevin is in his early to mid-20s and has two tattoos: one on his neck that says "Dalia" and another of crosses with angels on his chest. He is considered armed and dangerous and is believed to frequent a Hispanic neighborhood in the area of 41st Street and North Dixie Highway in Oakland Park, as well as the area where Pineda's body was found.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts or the location of the vehicle is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

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