Annandale man in MS-13 sentenced to life in prison for murder and racketeering

Jose Henry Hernandez-Garcia, 29, of Annandale, was sentenced Aug. 4 to life in federal prison for racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to destroy and conceal evidence in connection to his participation in the MS-13 gang, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

The sentence was announced Aug. 4 by Judge Paula Xinis of the U.S. District Court in Maryland.

The charges relate to the murder of a victim believed to be cooperating with law enforcement and the subsequent cover-up of the murder. Hernandez-Garcia, also known as “Paciente,” was convicted on Dec. 16, 2022, after a two-week trial, along with co-defendants Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa (“Felon”), age 33, of Landover Hills, Md., and Jose Rafael Ortega-Ayala, (“Impaciente”) 30, of Greenbelt, Md.

Hernandez-Garcia and his co-defendants were members and associates of the Los Ghettos Criminales Salvatruchas (“LGCS” or “Ghettos”) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13. 

According to a Justice Department press release, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons at all times, using any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence.” 

One of the principal rules of MS-13, the DOJ states, calls for members to attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “chavalas,” whenever possible. Participation in criminal activity and violence increases a gang member’s respect and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position. 

According to evidence presented at trial, Ordonez-Zometa, the leader of the LGCS clique, called a meeting at his house on March 8, 2019, where he questioned the victim about his contacts with the police.

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During the questioning, Hernandez-Garcia, his co-defendants, and at least one other MS-13 member assaulted the victim based on their incorrect suspicions that he was cooperating with law enforcement. They also assaulted another MS-13 member who attempted to defend the victim. 

The assault culminated with Ordonez-Zometa ordering the victim to be killed. Hernandez-Garcia, Ortega-Ayala, and other MS-13 members then stabbed and murdered him in Ordonez-Zometa’s basement. 

According to trial testimony, after the murder, Ordonez-Zometa ordered Hernandez-Garcia, Ortega-Ayala, and other LGCS clique members and co-conspirators, to conceal and destroy evidence of the murder. 

They transported the body to a secluded location in Stafford County, Va., set it on fire, and destroyed and concealed evidence of the murder from the vehicle used to transport the body. Ordonez-Zometa and other gang members stayed at the crime scene and attempted to remove, destroy, and conceal evidence of the murder, including the victim’s blood. 

Ordonez-Zometa was sentenced to life in federal prison on March 6, 2023. Ortega-Ayala also faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison at his sentencing on Sept. 25, 2023. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Justice Department program aimed at bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime.