A jury in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, found three men guilty of first-degree murder and other charges related to a fatal shooting on Colony Road in Silver Spring on November 9, 2022, marking the first time a conviction for participation in a criminal organization resulting in death has been secured in the county.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Terrence McGann, a jury has found three co-defendants guilty in a fatal shooting that occurred on Colony Road in Silver Spring on November 9, 2022.
Defendants, Junior Francisco Del-Cid, 20, of Takoma Park, Elmer Lopez-Cortez, 25, of Silver Spring, and Elvin Guzman-Machado, 20, of Silver Spring, were convicted on charges of First-Degree Murder, three counts of Attempted First-Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder, four counts of Use of a Firearm during a Crime of Violence, and Participation in a Criminal Organization Resulting in Death, for the shooting death of 19-year-old Willians Anderson Alberto Cruz and for shooting at three additional victims, two of whom were hit and survived their injuries. This is the first time a defendant has been convicted on the charge of Participation in a Criminal Organization Resulting in Death in Montgomery County, MD. Each defendant faces the potential of life in prison without parole and four additional, consecutive life sentences plus 105 years. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 31, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
The jury reached its verdict late Friday evening, August 30, 2024. The jurors deliberated for six hours following a three-week trial.
A fourth co-defendant, Jonathan Leon-Chacon, 26, of Silver Spring, is still pending charges and is set for trial on June 16, 2025.
This stems from an incident on November 9, 2022. The victims and defendants were previously unknown to each other. The four defendants have been validated by Montgomery County Police as members of the La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang. As stated during trial, the State submits that the motive for the shooting was retribution for defaced gang graffiti in the forested area next to the parking lot where the shooting occurred. Del-Cid and Lopez-Cortez opened fire on the victims after the defendants became convinced the group was responsible for defacing the graffiti. Guzman-Machado and Leon-Chacon waited in the get-away vehicle. Victim, Alberto Cruz, died at the scene. The two other victims, who were hit multiple times, were treated at the hospital for their injuries.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Teresa Casafranca and Kimberly Cissel are handling prosecution of this matter.”
