By Mark F. Gray, AFRO Staff Writer, mgray@afro.com
In the midst of ongoing apparent homicide investigations Prince George’s County Police arrested five suspects in the murder of a 16-year-old from northern Virginia who was allegedly killed in Landover Hills then transported back across state lines into Virginia.
According to a statement issued by the Department’s Office of Communications, the preliminary investigation revealed the victim and the suspects are members of a MS-13 clique that operates in Fairfax County. Investigators determined the victim, Jacson Pineda-Chicas, 16, of Parkwood Court in Falls Church, was killed inside a home in the 7000 block of Varnum Street in the D.C. suburb of Landover Hills, MD, before his body was driven back to Stafford County.
Caption: Prince George’s County police have been working hard investigating homicides in the area and successfully arrested an attempted kidnapper last week. (Courtesy Photo)
March 9, a Stafford County Sheriff’s deputy located the remains of a murder victim in a remote, grassy area. The investigation determined that on the evening of March 8, the victim and several MS-13 members traveled to Prince George’s County to attend a meeting at the home of the clique’s leader. During that meeting, there was a confrontation when Pineda-Chicas was attacked and killed.
All suspects have been charged with first degree murder. The suspects in custody are Jose Ordonez-Zometa, 29, of Landover Hills, MD.; Jonathan Castillo-Rivera, 20, of Annandale, VA., and 16-year-old Christian Martinez-Ramirez, of Falls Church, VA. Two other suspects Jose Hernandez-Garcia, 25, and Kevin Rodriguez-Flores, 18 do not have permanent addresses.
Each of the suspects are charged as adults. Ordonez-Zometa is in the custody of the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections. The four remaining suspects are in custody in Virginia. However, once it was determined that Pineda-Chicas was killed in Landover Hills, Prince George’s County Police detectives took control of the investigation and have stated they do not believe this was a random crime.
Meanwhile, Homicide Unit detectives are still working to identify and arrest the suspect(s) who shot and killed a woman in Hyattsville. Salina Rivera, 27, was reportedly shot to death March 12.
Shortly before 8pm, patrol officers with the Hyattsville City Police Department were called to the 6200 block of Belcrest Road in the City of Hyattsville for a reported shooting. When they arrived, officers discovered Rivera in a walkway suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
Homicide Unit detectives are working to identify and arrest the suspect(s) who killed a man discovered in a park near Lake Artemesia on March 14. The victim’s name will be released once his family is notified. Reports say detectives do not believe this was a random crime.
On March 14, at approximately 1:30 pm, a citizen walking near Lake Artemesia in Berwyn Heights notified police after discovering a body. The victim was located suffering from trauma to the upper body and pronounced dead on the scene.
As the homicides continued to be investigated, officers were successful in arresting a man who attempted to kidnap a little girl. Officers arrested 38-year-old Bernard Alexander III in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a seven-year-old girl in Laurel. Alexander has been charged with attempted kidnapping and related charges.
On March 14 around 6:30 pm, patrol officers were called to the 8800 block of Cherry Lane when the victim told officers that Alexander walked up to her while she was playing in the front yard and showed her some images on his phone then tried to lead her away from the yard. The neighborhood children began yelling which alerted the victim’s father who began chasing Alexander. The victim’s father was able to stop and hold Alexander until the police arrived.