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MS-13 Leader Alexi Saenz Faces Sentencing Over Eight Long Island Murders

A federal judge will decide whether to impose up to 70 years in prison or grant leniency based on Saenz’s intellectual disability, remorse alongside a traumatic upbringing after the DOJ withdrew its bid for capital punishment.

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Alexi Saenz (U.S. Attorney's Office)
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Overview

  • Saenz pleaded guilty in July 2024 to ordering eight murders, three attempted killings, arson, weapons offenses and drug trafficking as head of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside clique.
  • The crimes include the 2016 killings of Brentwood teens Kayla Cuevas, 16, and Nisa Mickens, 15, whose deaths galvanized national attention on MS-13 violence.
  • Prosecutors are urging a 70-year prison term, describing Saenz’s actions as senseless and sadistic, while his lawyers seek a 45-year sentence on grounds of genuine remorse and mitigating personal history.
  • Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the DOJ in late 2023 to abandon plans for the death penalty in Saenz’s case and that of his brother, Jairo.
  • Federal filings show Saenz remained entrenched in MS-13 behind bars, with disciplinary records and photos of him displaying gang signs and possessing contraband.