A Montgomery County jury has found 28-year-old Abraham Luna Perez of Silver Spring guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the 2024 death of his 19-year-old brother-in-law, Diego Edilberto Borja Cardona.
The jury returned its verdict on August 4 in Montgomery County Circuit Court before Judge David Lease. Luna Perez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27 and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Montgomery County Police found Borja Cardona’s body on October 22, 2024, in a wooded area behind a bus stop in the 9300 block of Piney Branch Road. An autopsy determined that he died from blunt force trauma to the head and had been struck at least four times.
According to prosecutors, Luna Perez, Borja Cardona and a juvenile roommate lived together in an apartment on Quebec Terrace near where the body was discovered. Prosecutors said the roommate witnessed an altercation between Luna Perez and Borja Cardona on October 19 and later received a text message from Luna Perez stating that he planned to kill the victim.
The roommate later told investigators that he heard several loud noises after Luna Perez entered Borja Cardona’s bedroom. Prosecutors said Luna Perez subsequently told the roommate that Borja Cardona was dead and instructed him to help move the body to the wooded area, where it was discovered three days later.
Deputy State’s Attorney Ryan Wechsler and Assistant State’s Attorney Kimberly Cissel are prosecuting the case.
