Lured to their deaths: ‘Diablita’ sentenced in grisly MS-13 slayings

October 3, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, more informally known as Brooklyn Federal Court, in Downtown Brooklyn. Photo: Rob Abruzzese/Brooklyn Eagle

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Leniz Escobar, also known as “Diablita,” was sentenced to 50 years in prison by U.S. Second Circuit Judge Joseph Bianco for her role in the 2017 murders of four young men in a Central Islip park.

‘Diablita’ Sentenced: Leniz Escobar, MS-13 associate, gets 50 years for her role in the brutal murders of four young men in a Central Islip park. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the EDNY

Escobar, 24, was convicted in April 2022 on multiple charges, including racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering. Prosecutors said Escobar lured the victims to their deaths, which were carried out by members of the MS-13 gang.

On April 11, 2017, Escobar and a co-conspirator, Keyli Gomez, led five young men, including the four murder victims — Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre and Jefferson Villalobos — to a wooded area in a Central Islip park. Members of the MS-13 gang attacked them with machetes, knives and clubs, believing them to be members of a rival gang. One of the intended victims managed to escape, but the remaining four were killed.

“The defendant demonstrated her allegiance to the MS-13 gang by luring four young men to their slaughter,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “Today’s sentence reflects not only the seriousness of her conduct but also the consequences of her actions, including the terror and suffering experienced by the victims and the life-altering grief that their families continue to suffer.”

According to the evidence presented at trial, Escobar later bragged about her role in the killings and destroyed evidence, including disposing of a bloodstained sweatshirt and tossing her cellphone from a moving car while being followed by police. She also falsely claimed to detectives that she and Gomez were victims of a random robbery in the park that night.

The MS-13 gang, a violent transnational criminal organization, has been responsible for numerous violent crimes on Long Island, and federal authorities have prioritized prosecutions targeting its members. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members have been convicted on federal charges in the Eastern District of New York.

Escobar is the fifth person sentenced in connection with these murders. Other MS-13 members involved received sentences ranging from 29 to 55 years.