Gang Member 'Kraken' from MS-13, Involved in Machete Attack After Luring Victim into Marijuana Ambush, Receives Lengthy Sentence

Jonathan "Kraken" Hernandez, a 26-year-old member of the notorious MS-13 gang, has been handed a 43-year prison sentence for his involvement in a heinous crime that unfolded in Brentwood, New York. The gruesome incident involved Hernandez luring a man he believed to be associated with a rival gang into the woods, where he orchestrated a brutal attack using a machete.

The Department of Justice, in a statement published on Wednesday, described the murder as "barbaric," emphasizing the severity of the sentence as a measure to ensure that Hernandez would not have the opportunity to inflict harm on others in the future. Acting Suffolk County Police Department commissioner Robert Waring echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the sentence aimed to prevent any further brutalization by Hernandez.

Court documents obtained from Law&Crime reveal that Hernandez pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in 2022, acknowledging his role in the murder of Michael Johnson in Brentwood and the killing of another man, Oscar Acosta. Hernandez was associated with the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of MS-13.

The gang's leaders, Jairo Saenz and Alexi Saenz, are scheduled to face trial in September, facing charges related to Johnson's death and at least six other individuals. The spate of gang-related killings in Brentwood in 2016 initiated with Johnson's death in January, with Hernandez marking him as a target due to a perceived association with a rival gang.

Hernandez received approval from a "clique leader" to lure and execute Johnson. Following instructions, he brought weapons, including a machete and a baseball bat, to a wooded area off Second Avenue in Brentwood. The violent episode unfolded when Hernandez, along with several other MS-13 gang members, enticed Johnson into the woods under the pretense of smoking marijuana.

In a sudden and brutal attack, the gang members ambushed Johnson, striking him with a baseball bat, stabbing him with a knife, and taking turns hacking him with a machete. Fleeing the scene upon hearing police sirens, the gang earned promotions within MS-13 for their actions. Johnson was reported missing, and his body was eventually discovered by a passerby.

Hernandez's defense attorney, Michael Bacharach, sought leniency during sentencing, highlighting Hernandez's low IQ and the influence of gang life after coming to the U.S. as a teenager from El Salvador. Prosecutors, however, argued that Hernandez's violent tendencies were part of a broader pattern within the gang.

After Johnson's murder, Hernandez and associates met again to plan the killing of 19-year-old Oscar Acosta, driven by doubts about Acosta's loyalty to MS-13. Similar to Johnson's case, Acosta was lured into a secluded area in Brentwood under the guise of smoking marijuana, where he was subjected to a brutal attack. Acosta was beaten, bound, and gagged before being taken to a secluded area behind an abandoned psychiatric hospital, where he was hacked to death with a machete.

As an MS-13 member, Hernandez was implicated in attempted killings of rival gangsters in 2016, involving gunfire in a residential neighborhood. Additionally, he was involved in distributing cocaine and marijuana, and during his leadership within the clique, he distributed an estimated 5 to 10 kilograms of marijuana from April 2016 to October 2017.

Hernandez had previously been sentenced to 51 months in prison in 2018 for assault with a dangerous weapon, connected to a vicious attack in 2015. The Justice Department noted that his 43-year sentence credited him for time spent in custody on that charge.

Prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the family of Michael Johnson, emotionally affected by the sentencing, was not available for comment. During Hernandez's sentencing, Johnson's father addressed him in court, expressing the profound impact on their lives and emphasizing the importance of justice being served. Hernandez, seemingly emotionless, offered a brief apology through a court-appointed translator.

The lengthy legal process leading to the 43-year sentence prompted a letter from Johnson's father in September 2023, urging the court to expedite Hernandez's punishment. The letter conveyed the family's anguish and the need for closure in the face of the horrific incident that claimed Michael Johnson's life.

 

[SOURCE]