More than a dozen alleged gang members, some of whom are linked to several murders on Long Island, faced a judge in federal court in Central Islip Monday morning.
The judge decided to try the 17 alleged MS-13 gang members in five different groups.
Among the cases are the April murders of Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre and Jefferson Villalobos, who were killed in a park in Central Islip.
Some of the alleged gang members are also charged in the 2016 killings of Nisa Mickens and Kayla Cuevas in Brentwood.