Juan Amaya-Ramirez, aka “Cadaver,” 27, a member of the transnational MS-13 gang, was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn for his role in the April 23, 2018 murder of 17-year-old Andy Peralta in Kissena Park, Queens, according to an Eastern District of New York release. Two additional gang members were involved: Oscar Flores-Mejia, alias “Chamuco,” a 25-year-old Queens resident, and Virginia resident Leyla Carranza, 24, Amaya-Ramirez’ girlfriend, who lured the victim to his death.
“The senselessness of this murder is matched only by its brutality,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella. “The defendants lured Andy Peralta to a secluded part of Kissena Park where they beat him mercilessly before Amaya-Ramirez choked him to death and Flores-Mejia hacked him with a knife.”
According to FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia, the victim may have been incorrectly recognized as a member of the rival MS-18 gang as a result of a misconstrued hand signal observed on camera. “The defendant unjustly sentenced Peralta to a horrific death due to a false perception of his status as a rival,” Raia told reporters.
LaShann DeArcy Hall, a United States District Judge, condemned Amaya-Ramirez.
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