MS-13 leader pleads guilty in case involving 8 murders, including deaths of 2 girls on Long Island

A leader of an MS-13 gang clique in New York has pleaded guilty to racketeering and firearms charges in a case involving eight murders, including the 2016 killings of two high school girls who were hacked and beaten to death in their suburban neighborhood on Long Island. Alexi Saenz entered the plea Wednesday in federal court in Central Islip. Prosecutors previously withdrew an attempt to seek the death penalty in his case. The deaths of the high school students focused the nation’s attention on MS-13 gang violence during the administration of President Donald Trump. Saenz’s lawyers didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.