BOSTON — An MS-13 gang leader from Somerville serving time in federal prison for racketeering has pleaded guilty to his role in the murder of a man in Chelsea in 2010, the U.S. Attorney said Thursday.
Jose Vasquez, a/k/a “Cholo,” a/k/a “Little Crazy,” 31, a local leader of the Trece Locos Salvatrucha, or TLS, a clique of MS-13 in Somerville, pleaded guilty to one count of violent crime in aid of racketeering, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.
Vasquez stabbed the victim, a 28-year-old man, in a brutal killing in Chelsea with other MS-13 members present back in December 2010, prosecutors said.
The victim, whom Vasquez and others believed belonged to a rival gang, was found with nearly a dozen stab wounds under the Fifth Street on-ramp to Route 1.
Vasquez faces an additional 20-25 years in federal prison. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William Young scheduled sentencing for June 30.
Vazquez was indicted by a federal grand jury along with two other MS-13 members in September 2024. He is currently serving a 212-month prison sentence for a May 2018 federal conviction of racketeering conspiracy.
MS-13, or La Mara Salvatrucha, is a transnational criminal organization with tens of thousands of members in the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and elsewhere.
MS-13 branches, or “cliques,” operate throughout the U.S., including in Massachusetts, according to authorities.
To maintain and enhance their status in the gang, MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, specifically against rival gang members; kill informants; and support and defend fellow MS-13 members in attacks, prosecutors said.
At approximately 7:10 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2010, police responded to a 911 call under the Fifth Street on-ramp to Route 1 in Chelsea.
There, a 28-year-old man was found with approximately 10 stab wounds to his head, back and chest, prosecutors said. The victim was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he later died.
Investigators recently reexamined evidence collected early on in the murder case, and identified members of MS-13, including Vasquez, as having committed the murder, prosecutors said.
In the week leading up to the incident, Vasquez and other MS-13 members conspired to murder the victim because they believed the victim belonged to a rival gang, prosecutors said.
Evidence revealed that on the day of the murder, Vasquez and other MS-13 members picked the victim up in front of a McDonald’s in Allston.
The group then drove to Chelsea where Vasquez and other MS-13 members led the victim to a secluded area under the highway where an MS-13 member hit the victim in the head with a rock and another MS-13 member stabbed the victim with a machete.
During the attack, Vasquez stabbed the victim with a knife, prosecutors said.
Vasquez’s palm print was identified on the handle of a kitchen knife recovered from the scene. The victim’s blood was also found on the knife.
Prosecutors said an undercover recording obtained of an MS-13 meeting that took place on Jan. 27, 2011 – approximately six weeks after the murder – captured one MS-13 member acknowledging his participation in the murder and other gang members disciplining him for leaving Massachusetts after the murder without the gang’s permission.
Vasquez was identified as being present for the meeting.
In addition to being a leader of an MS-13 clique in Somerville, Vasquez “personally participated in racketeering activity and acts of violence on behalf of MS-13,” prosecutors said.
For the charge of violent crime in aid of racketeering, Vasquez faces a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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