MS-13 gang member sentenced for role in Richmond gang member’s murder

A New Jersey man was sentenced Monday to 40 years in prison for conspiring to participate in a murder in connection with his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a violent international gang commonly known as MS-13.

According to court documents, Jose Gimenez-Lobos, aka Terrible, 32, was a member and leader in an MS-13 clique in New Jersey.

On the evening of Nov. 23, 2014, MS-13 members gathered at an apartment in Richmond, along with the victim, who was a member of the rival Sureño gang.

Under MS-13 rules, members are not allowed to associate with rival gangs and are required to assault or murder rival gang members.

When Gimenez-Lobos arrived at the apartment and realized a rival was present, Gimenez-Lobos encouraged the other MS-13 members to confront the victim based on his status as a Sureño gang member.

The co-conspirators went into another room in the apartment, conferred, and decided to kill the victim.

They assaulted the victim and took his knife, which Gimenez-Lobos used to stab the victim multiple times.

Co-defendant Darwin Solorzano-Quintanilla then used a BB gun to beat the victim brutally in the head.

Co-defendant Francisco Lemus-Castillo used his own knife to stab the victim several more times, and the victim died from the stab wounds.

“This case is a clear example of the severe threat organized criminal gangs pose to our communities,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The normalization of petty violence – such as killing another person because of their perceived rival affiliation – is illustrative of how dangerous these organizations can be.”

“Jose Gimenez-Lobos displayed his depravity by conspiring to stab a man to death in cold blood,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. “The severity of his crime is reflected in the prison sentence he received today. HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to relentlessly pursue individuals or groups who perpetrate violence against the residents of our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities.”

Solorzano-Quintanilla, age 29, of Chesterfield, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Nov. 23, 2021. Lemus-Castillo, age 31, of Chesterfield , was sentenced to life imprisonment on June 26, 2023.

This case was investigated by FBI Richmond’s RAVE Task Force with significant assistance from the City of Richmond Police Department.