Posted on December 14, 2019

MS-13 Gang Member Gets Life in Prison for Murder of Lynchburg Teen

Elizabeth Tyree and Taylor Coleman, WSET, December 12, 2019

A MS-13 gang member has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the brutal murder of a Lynchburg teen.

A jury found Kevin Soto-Bonilla guilty of capital murder, abduction for pecuniary benefit, and participation in a criminal act in association with a criminal street gang Wednesday. He changed his plea to guilty on Thursday to avoid the death penalty.

After changing his plea to guilty, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for capital murder, life in prison without parole for abduction, and 10 years for gang participation.

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Three others have already been found guilty for their role in Raymond Wood’s murder.

Lisandro Antonio Posada-Vasquez pleaded guilty in September 2018 to capital murder, robbery, abduction for pecuniary benefit, and participation in a criminal act in association with a criminal street gang; Victor Rodas was found guilty of first degree murder, gang participation, and abduction; he was found not guilty of robbery and abduction for pecuniary benefit in February; and Juan Martin Hernandez pleaded guilty to two felony charges, gang participation and accessory after the fact to capital murder, and one misdemeanor, accessory after the fact to abduction in August.

Rodas was sentenced to 55 years in prison. Posada-Vasquez is set to be back in court in September 2020 and Hernandez is set to be back in court in January 2020. Posada-Vasquez faces the death penalty.

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