Killer gang leader ‘Blasty’ busted for brutal crimes: MS-13 leader confesses to eight grisly murders
"Blasty" and "Plaky," the leader of a chapter of the MS-13 gang, pleaded guilty in federal court to a litany of heinous crimes, including eight murders, multiple attempted murders, arson, and firearms offenses. Photo: fotofabrika/Adobe Stock
By Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor
July 11, 2024
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Alexi Saenz, also known as “Blasty” and “Plaky,” the leader of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the MS-13 gang, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to a litany of heinous crimes, including eight murders, multiple attempted murders, arson, and firearms offenses.
Saenz, 29, faces a minimum of 40 years and up to 70 years in prison under the terms of his plea agreement. His crimes, committed between 2016 and 2017, were aimed at maintaining and enhancing his status within the MS-13 gang, notorious for its brutal violence and criminal activities.
“To say that Alexi Saenz’s hands are drenched in blood does not begin to describe the multiple killings and extreme mayhem he personally directed and committed in the span of one year in Suffolk County,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “While those murders and violent crimes were intended to further the sordid mission of the MS-13, the defendant has failed miserably.”
Brutal murders and attempted murders
Saenz confessed to the murder of 29-year-old Michael Johnson on Jan. 28, 2016. Johnson was lured to a secluded area in Brentwood under the guise of smoking marijuana. Once there, Saenz and other MS-13 members attacked him with a baseball bat, a knife and a machete, leaving his body to be discovered days later.
On April 29, 2016, Saenz and his gang brutally killed 19-year-old Oscar Acosta. Acosta was suspected of associating with a rival gang. He was beaten unconscious with tree limbs, bound, and then hacked to death with a machete in a secluded area in Brentwood.
Saenz also admitted to the attempted murders of two individuals on July 18, 2016. During a hunt for rival gang members, Saenz’s associates attacked a group of men in Brentwood, shooting and hacking them with a machete. Two men were injured, with one suffering permanent disfigurement.
On August 10, 2016, Saenz and his gang attempted to kill suspected rival gang members in Brentwood. They fired numerous shots at their targets, narrowly missing them but striking a neighbor’s house instead.
Murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens
One of the most shocking crimes Saenz confessed to was the September 13, 2016, murder of 15-year-old Nisa Mickens and 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas. Cuevas had been involved in disputes with MS-13 members, leading to the gang’s decision to target her. On that night, Saenz and his associates attacked the two girls with baseball bats and a machete. Their bodies were found with significant trauma, causing a nationwide outcry.
Other violent crimes
On September 5, 2016, Saenz’s gang murdered 27-year-old Marcus Bohannon in Central Islip, believing him to be a member of the rival Bloods gang. Bohannon was shot multiple times and died from his wounds.
Alexi Saenz, MS-13 leader, pleaded guilty to eight murders, three attempted murders, arson, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the EDNY
Saenz directed the arson of a car in Brentwood on September 12, 2016, as part of a series of retaliations against a rival gang. The car explosion set another vehicle on fire.
On Oct. 10, 2016, Saenz and his gang killed 15-year-old Javier Castillo, suspected of being a member of the 18th Street gang. Castillo was lured to an isolated marsh area, attacked with a machete, and buried in a shallow grave.
Three days later, on Oct. 13, 2016, Saenz authorized the murder of 34-year-old Dewann Stacks. Stacks was beaten and hacked to death with machetes and a baseball bat in Brentwood.
On Jan. 30, 2017, Saenz’s gang killed 29-year-old Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla in a Central Islip deli. Mistakenly believed to be a rival gang member, Alvarado-Bonilla was shot multiple times, with a bullet also injuring a female employee.
Narcotics trafficking and further criminal activities
In addition to these violent crimes, Saenz was involved in narcotics trafficking from April 2016 to March 2017. He distributed cocaine and marijuana to finance the gang’s operations, purchasing firearms and sending money to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador.
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