Illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member arrested for murder of Virginia couple

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia announced that an arrest has been made in connection with the shooting death of a couple in August. The suspect is reportedly an MS-13 gang member and is in the US illegally.

Marlyn Medrano-Ortiz has been charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and has been accused of killing Mijal Conejero-Romera and Diego Alexander Wollett, WUSA 9 reported. 

Medrano-Ortiz, 18, was arrested in the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria. Police received a call around 4:30 in the morning on August 28 about an argument in the Ridgetop Circle area of Sterling, Virginia. The couple was found by authorities suffering from gunshot wounds and were transported to the hospital, where they died, Loudon Now reported. 

Sheriff Mike Chapman said, "I am on record strongly opposing the presence of MS-13 and other violent gangs in our nation and local communities. MS-13 is an El Salvador-based gang that uses intimidation, crime, and violence as tools of the trade, and there should be no safe place for them here." He said that when he first arrived in the county in 2012 and 2013, there were issues with gangs in the area but it had died down. "It seems to me that it's starting to pick up again and that's what really concerns me," said Chapman.

A preliminary hearing is set for December 5. Authorities are investigating whether additional suspects were involved in the case.