On Monday, Edgard Castro-Contreras was sentenced in Montgomery County Circuit Court to life in prison plus 52 years for the 2022 gang-related murder of Edvin Agustin Leon, the attempted murder of a second victim, and related firearm and conspiracy charges.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “On April 4, 2025, a jury convicted Castro-Contreras on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for the death of 20-year-old Edvin Agustin Leon. The defendant was also convicted of attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for the shooting of a second victim, and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence.
On November 9, 2022, the victims were targeted in a gang-related shooting. Edvin Agustin Leon and the second victim were walked into a wooded area of Northwest Stream Valley Park near the 9000 block of Piney Branch Road. Agustin Leon was shot and killed. The second victim was shot multiple times but survived the attempt on his life by pretending to be dead. He then crawled through a quarter mile of park terrain and cried for help. Neighbors called 911. Through the course of an investigation by Montgomery County Police with assistance from the F.B.I., detectives learned that the homicide and shooting were related to the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) criminal gang. They determined two higher-ranked members of MS-13 provided firearms to three lower-ranked members and directed them to shoot and kill the two victims. The State believes Castro-Contreras fired the shots that killed Edvin Agustin Leon.
On Friday, April 4, 2025, the jury hung in the case of co-defendant Sender Emanuel Godoy-Lemus. The State will retry that case. The trial is scheduled for May 26, 2026.
Co-defendant Brayan Bonilla-Andrade has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. He faces the potential of two life sentences plus 20 years. His sentencing hearing is pending.
There are two additional co-defendants. Jonathan Videz Martinez and Carlo Yaque Del Cid are pending trial on first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and related charges. They are both scheduled for a trial beginning February 27, 2026.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Teresa Casafranca and Gabriel Carrera are handling the prosecution of this matter. We are grateful for their commitment to seeking justice and for the comprehensive investigation and assistance from the Montgomery County Police Gang Investigation and Homicide Teams, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Baltimore Field Office, the Maryland National Capital Park Police, and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.”
