Appeals Court Upholds Conviction For MS-13 Gang Leader In Deaths Of Long Island Woman, Toddler

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A federal appeals court in New York City has upheld the conviction and life sentence of the leader of the MS-13 street gang in connection with the deaths of a Long Island woman and her toddler son.

Heriberto Martinez was convicted of murder-in-aid-of-racketeering in 2013 for sanctioning the 2010 killings of 19-year-old Vanessa Argueta and her 2-year-old son, Diego Torres. He was given three life sentences, plus 60 years.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was acting U.S. Attorney at the time, said Argueta was shot execution style because she had allegedly shown disrespect to the MS-13 gang. Authorities said Diego was killed simply because he was with her at the time.

Police found the bodies of Argueta and the boy in woods in Central Islip.

On Wednesday, the Manhattan court rejected Martinez's bid to have the conviction overturned. The court rejected several arguments, including claims that using an anonymous jury during his 2013 trial violated Martinez's rights.

The appellate judges said there is substantial evidence that Martinez's co-defendants tried to and succeeded in interfering with the judicial process. They also found there was enough evidence to support his murder-in-aid-of-racketeering conviction.

Two others were accused in the deaths of Argueta and her son. Adalberto Ariel Guzman was found guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and firearms offenses in 2013. Rene Mendez Mejia pleaded guilty in June 2011 to the murders.

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