Following a four-week long trial, Mauricio Alvarado-Vasquez, 31, was convicted and sentenced in July to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in multiple murders and attempted murders that occurred in 2019.
Murder of Vicky DeDios:
On September 8, 2019, the Dispatch Center in Aurora received a 9-1-1 call regarding a car fire on I-225. After firefighters extinguished the flames, a body, later identified as Vicky DeDios was found in the backseat floorboard. Detectives uncovered the victim was stabbed more than 20 times.
The investigation revealed DeDios was targeted because the MS-13 gang perceived her as a rival gang member. DeDios was out at a bar when she was lured outside, rendered unconscious and driven to a house where she was stabbed in her vehicle. Through interviews with other known MS-13 gang members, detectives learned that after the victim was stabbed, Alvarado-Vasquez and another co-defendant, David Tobias-Carbajal, drove the victim’s car with the body in the back and parked it on the shoulder of I-225. The two then went to purchase gasoline and a lighter and set fire to the car.
“This defendant bragged about stabbing the victim first and then asked her how it feels to die,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Laura Wilson said. “He is an ongoing threat to the entire community and deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Murder of Carlos Ramirez-Rivera:
On November 2, 2019 at approximately 3:00 a.m., officers in Glendale were dispatched to a traffic crash at the intersection of E. Kentucky Avenue and S. Birch Street. As an officer approached the car, they noticed a male, later identified as Ramirez-Rivera, slumped over in the driver seat. The victim was pronounced dead on-scene. Surveillance camera footage revealed Ramirez-Rivera was stopped at a stop sign when another car pulled up and fired multiple shots, striking him in his arms and chest. The investigation revealed Ramirez-Rivera was targeted for his alleged involvement in a rival gang and was followed after leaving a local bar.
Attempted Murder of Alexander Portillo:
Between September and October 2019, detectives learned Alvarado-Vasquez conspired with two other co-defendants on Facebook and another messaging app to kill Alexander Portillo over a perceived threat that he was also in a rival gang. The investigation found the MS-13 gang had been trying to figure out Portillo’s work schedule, employer, and type of car he drove so they could ambush and kill him.
Apartment complex shooting:
Just before 2:30 a.m. on November 11, 2019, officers in Aurora responded to a shooting at an apartment complex on S. Ironton Street. Six people suffered gunshot wounds and survived. The victims had previously been at a local bar and were labeled as rival gang members by MS-13. However, there was no evidence to suggest the victims had a gang affiliation.
“Our law enforcement partners were instrumental in helping us bring justice to victims and shut down an organized criminal enterprise that had been terrorizing the community for several months,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Jason Siers said. “Hundreds of hours were spent reviewing surveillance video and speaking with witnesses to put all of the pieces to the puzzle together.”
More than a dozen defendants were charged with MS-13 gang-related crimes between 2019 and 2020. Two defendants have pending trials as of August 2023. Defendants pending trial or whose cases have not concluded must be presumed innocent.
“This is one of the most violent and brutal gangs I have come across in my career as a prosecutor,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “I cannot stress enough how grateful I am to the state and federal law enforcement team that dedicated years to bringing these defendants to justice. Their efforts prevented this transnational criminal gang from gaining a foothold in our community.”
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2020 CR 1296 – Mauricio Lopez-Rodriguez
Sentence: 10 years DOC
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2020 CR 1287 – David Tobias-Carbajal
Sentence: Life without Parole – Convicted at trial
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2020 CR 1298 – Miriam Tobias-Carbajal
Sentence: 5 years Probation
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2020 CR 1293 – Manuel Rivera-Rivas
Sentence: Pending
The defendant in this case pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder after Deliberation, a Class 3 felony, along with being an Accessory to a Crime, a Class 4 felony.
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2020 CR 1291 – Josue Tobias-Carbajal
Sentence: Life without Parole
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2020 CR 3058 – Edwin Mendoza
Sentence: 8 years in DOC
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2020 CR 1288 – Enrique Zamorano-Cuevas
Sentence: 4 years in DOC
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2020 CR 1321 – Elias Tobias
Status: Sentence Pending
The defendant in this case pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder after Deliberation, a Class 3 felony, and Violent Crime Causing Death or Serious Bodily Injury, a sentence enhancer.
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2020 CR 1290 – Gerson Huezo-Cerritos
Sentence: 10 years in DOC
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2020 CR 1289 – Enrique Juarez-Gonzalez
Sentence: 24 years in DOC
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2020 CR 1286 – Cristian Vasquez-Ortega
Sentence: 48 years in DOC
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2020 CR 1323 – Rafael Lopez-Rodriguez
Sentence: 10 years in DOC
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2020 CR 1294 – Marvin Ramos-Hernandez
Sentence: 16 years in DOC
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2020 CR 1299 – Natalie Bolivar
Sentence: 4 years Probation
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2020 CR 2176 – Hector Rodriguez-Barrientos
Sentence: 30 years in DOC
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2020 CR 1320 – David Medina-Hernandez
Sentence: 10 years in DOC
Additional mugshots for defendants incarcerated in the Department of Corrections can be obtained through the DOC Inmate Locator webpage.
