BOSTON – Justice, long delayed, finally arrived today in the brutal 2010 murder of a 28-year-old man in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Two members of the notorious La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, were sentenced in federal court, closing the book on a case that haunted investigators for over a decade. The victim was discovered with approximately 10 stab wounds to his chest and back, along with head injuries, after a 911 call led police to the Route 1 on-ramp.
Jose Vasquez, a/k/a “Cholo,” a/k/a “Little Crazy,” 31, received a crushing 25-year prison sentence from Senior U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young, to be followed by five years of supervised release. This sentence is in addition to the 212-month term Vasquez is already serving from a May 2018 federal conviction for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise. The combined sentence totals a staggering 37 years behind bars for his MS-13-related crimes. Vasquez pleaded guilty in May 2025 to violent crime in aid of racketeering.
His accomplice, William Pineda Portillo, a/k/a “Humilde,” 31, a Salvadoran national unlawfully residing in Everett, was sentenced to 16 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Pineda Portillo, who fled the country for years, will be subject to deportation after completing his sentence. He pleaded guilty in May 2023 to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise (RICO) conspiracy. Both men were indicted alongside other MS-13 members in September 2024 after a reexamination of evidence connected them to the cold case.
The evidence paints a chilling picture of premeditated violence. In the week before the December 18, 2010 murder, Vasquez and other MS-13 members conspired to kill the victim, believing he was affiliated with a rival gang. On the day of the attack, Pineda Portillo drove Vasquez, other gang members, and the victim from Allston to Chelsea in a vehicle registered to his father. Once under the Route 1 on-ramp, the victim was set upon by the MS-13 crew – struck in the head with a rock, then repeatedly stabbed with a machete and knife. Vasquez’s palm print was found on the handle of a silver kitchen knife recovered at the scene, and the victim’s blood coated the blade.
The investigation didn’t end with the initial attack. An undercover recording made roughly six weeks after the murder captured an MS-13 member admitting his involvement and being reprimanded by his fellow gang members for fleeing Massachusetts without permission. Pineda Portillo attempted to evade justice for years, fleeing to El Salvador before investigators could question him. He was later arrested in May 2022 attempting to illegally re-enter the United States, crossing the border from Mexico into Texas. Prior to that, in 2015, he was caught selling a loaded firearm to a cooperating witness, and conspired to murder a perceived MS-13 informant, declaring, “I want that son of a bitch killed, man…We are going to do a complete thing to that son of a bitch, dude.” Pineda Portillo was originally indicted in 2017 but deported to El Salvador before being rearrested.
Today’s sentences send a clear message: even cold cases will be pursued, and those who commit acts of gang violence will be held accountable. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the ongoing efforts to dismantle MS-13 and other criminal enterprises operating within the United States.”
RELATED: MS-13 Leaders Get Life for Four Murders, Cocaine Racketeering
RELATED: MS-13 Hitmen Get Decades for Maryland Murder
Related Federal Cases
- James Leads Push for Senate KOSA Bill Over House Version · New Mexico
- James Leads Charge to Shield Haitian Immigrants from Deportation · Washington
- Live Nation Faces Trial Over Monopoly Practices · Washington
- NY AG James Leads Lawsuit Against Trump’s Research Funding Cuts · New Mexico
- Seattle Cybersecurity Summit: U.S. Attorneys Battle Hacktivism · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
