Four members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court today to the May 2024 murders of two unarmed American citizens in the Bronx.
Keiber Jaen Martinez, Samuel Gonzalez Castro, Eferson Morillo-Gomez, and Keineyer Ibarra-Mujica each entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote. They admitted to two counts of murder through the use of a firearm and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges stem from the May 24, 2024, fatal shootings of Claretha LaQuesha Daniels, 44, and Justin Lawless, 36, near 2290 Davidson Avenue. A third unarmed victim survived multiple gunshot wounds.
Federal prosecutors stated the defendants entered the country illegally and operated as part of TdA, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organization. According to court documents, the gang’s operations in New York City, including the Bronx and Queens, involved human smuggling, the sex trafficking of Venezuelan women, and the distribution of “tusi,” a synthetic drug mixture containing ketamine…