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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — An MS-13 gang member was sentenced for his role in the 2016 fatal shooting of a teen on a jogging trail, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
Daniel Arturo Orellana, 26, was given a 20-year sentence after admitting in a statement that he was on the lookout the day 16-year-old gang member Estuar Quinonez was shot 15 times.
“We have spent years fighting for justice for the victim of the treacherous ambush, and we are satisfied that everyone involved has been held responsible,” Ogg said.
“His guilty plea ensures he can’t appeal his conviction and that the victim’s family can mourn their loss with the knowledge that his sentence is final.”
According to authorities, Quinonez was targeted because he had witnessed several gang-related murders, including the death of a rival gang member who multiple MS-13 members shot.
The MS-13 gang, or Mara Salvatrucha, is a transactional gang that originated in Los Angeles and has members across the U.S.
The DA’s office said Quinonez’s killers wanted to ensure he didn’t talk.
Orellana’s conviction brings the total to seven members of the gang convicted for their role in the teen’s death.
- Douglas Alexander Herrera Hernandez or known as “Terror,” was charged with capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2021.
- Jose Guerra Sibrian was sentenced to 50 years in prison for murder in June 2021.
- The gang leader, Omar Torres, was sentenced to life without parole for capital murder on Sept. 2021. Torres organized the ambush from behind bars in the Harris County Jail.
- Luis Gonzalez Cruz, who drove Quinonez to Buffalo Run Park, was charged with murder and sentenced to life in prison on Nov. 2021.
- Kelvin Hernandez was sentenced on Feb. 2022 to 35 years for murder.
This case was prosecuted by the Organized Crime and Gangs Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. It was investigated both by the Houston Police Department and Missouri City Police Department.