A member of the notorious MS-13 gang was convicted of first-degree murder last week for her role in the brutal 2023 murder of a teenage girl. The victim, 18-year-old Rosa Sánchez Merino, was deceived into leaving New Jersey for Maryland, where her body was later discovered in a hastily dug grave.
Sánchez Merino’s skeletal remains were uncovered four months after her murder, which was orchestrated by the MS-13 gang. The discovery was made in Olney, Maryland, a significant distance from Elizabeth, New Jersey, where she was initially abducted.
The convicted, 24-year-old Iris Alonzo-Salgado, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and gang-related death. Alonzo-Salgado waived her right to a jury trial and was tried at the Montgomery County Circuit Court in Maryland.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, Alonzo-Salgado and co-conspirator Rivera-Delgado had taken Sánchez Merino to New Jersey under the pretense of visiting friends and family. Sánchez Merino was acquainted with her murderers prior to the crime, but no further motive for the murder has been disclosed.
In May 2023, Sánchez Merino was enticed by Alonzo-Salgado and three others into a secluded area north of Washington, D.C. Once there, she was gagged, forced to kneel, and then brutally attacked with a machete. Alonzo-Salgado, identified by the Maryland State Attorney’s Office as an MS-13 associate, is facing two life sentences plus an additional 25 years. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 21.
Roberto Rivera-Delgado, another participant in the crime, led detectives to Sánchez Merino’s burial site on September 30, 2023. He pleaded guilty to murder and gang-related charges in July 2024 and is currently awaiting sentencing. A third defendant, Aracely Abarca-Melgar, is awaiting trial, while a fourth defendant, who was a minor at the time of the murder, has not been publicly identified.