Teen stabbed about 100 times and set on fire in MS-13 murder, police say

STAFFORD, Va. — Five MS-13 gang members have been arrested in connection to the death of a 16-year-old whose mutilated body was found in Stafford County, Virginia, according to law enforcement.

The body of 16-year-old Jacson Chicas was discovered near a wooded area in the area of River Road around 4:30 a.m. Saturday.

Investigators now believe the gang turned on Chicas, a fellow member, stabbing him about 100 times and setting his body on fire, Prince George’s County Maj. Brian Reilly said at a press conference Friday.

On Thursday, investigators determined that Chicas was killed inside of a home in Prince George’s County, Maryland, during a gang meeting at the home of the clique’s leader on March 8.

At that meeting, for reasons which are under investigation, there was a confrontation, and the 16 year old was attacked and killed. 

The suspects then drove his body to Stafford County, where authorities found the burning corpse around 5 a.m. March 9, Reilly said.

Investigators were able to identify Chicas, who had been reported missing in Virginia, after they released a photo of a tattoo on his left arm.

Police believe the victim and the suspects are members of an MS-13 crew that operates in Fairfax County, but there leader, identified as Jose Ordonez-Zometa, lives in Prince George’s County. 

The five suspects, Jose Ordonez-Zometa, 29; Jonathan Castillo-Rivera, 20; Kevin Rodriguez-Flores, 18; Christian Martinez-Ramirez, 16; and Jose Hernandez-Garcia, 25, have been charged as adults. They face charges of first-degree murder and other related charges.

“He was stabbed around 100 times,” Reilly said. “That goes to how violent this attack was and how it wasn’t just one person who did this. The group turned on their own.”