Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced Friday that three alleged MS-13 gang members from Hempstead have been charged in the murder of a teen in Massapequa.
Carlos Portillo, 23, Kevin Granados-Coreas, 19, and Laura Campos, 28, have been charged with the January 2017 murder of 18-year-old Julio Espantzay-Gonzalez.
Espantzay-Gonzalez was allegedly lured into to the Massapequa Park Preserve with the promise of sex and drugs before being attacked.
Police say the suspects shot him and hacked him with machetes because they thought he was a member of a rival gang.
"These defendants allegedly attempted to move up the MS-13 hierarchy by luring their teenage victim into the woods and brutally murdering him," says District Attorney Singas. "We are committed to holding these alleged predators accountable for this horrific crime, and will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners at every level to end MS-13's reign of terror."
His partially buried body was found about two months later by a man walking his dog.
Two other unnamed suspects, already behind bars, are also being charged in the murder.