Two Venezuelan Gang Members Might Face Death If Found Guilty Of Killing A Man In Doral

DORAL: In 2023, two people are currently on death row for the kidnapping as well as the murder of a man in Doral, whose flat was looted by armed intruders who claimed to be part of a street gang from Venezuela. Prosecutors said on Tuesday in a Miami-Dade courtroom that Yurwin Salazar-Maita, 23, and Julio Cesar Hernandez-Montero, 27, had been convicted of first-degree murder charges regarding the alleged death of 43-year-old Jose Luis Sanchez-Valera.

An Arrest Warrant

Assistant State Attorney Gabriela Alfaro informed Judge Laura Cruz that in addition to the first-degree murder accusations, the state will also be prosecuting the co-defendants on charges of robbery, home invasion, kidnapping, carjacking, and burglary. An arrest warrant states that on November 27, Sanchez-Valera had been to a Miami hotel to meet a woman. According to the warrant, he was physically pulled from the seat of the driver of a silver automobile by three individuals dressed in dark clothing, as seen on surveillance footage from the hotel. According to the warrant, Sanchez-Valera was forced into his SUV’s back seat while the suspects ran away.

At Sanchez-Valera’s residence in the 6400 block of Northwest 102 Path in Doral, a home invasion and robbery were reported a few hours later. The warrant states that two armed men entered Sanchez-Valera’s residence and made demands of Valera’s roommate regarding jewels. The warrant also claimed that they stole a safe from the bedroom of Sanchez-Valera and drove off in the silver vehicle. The roommate got in touch with Sanchez-Valera’s son following the home break-in robbery, and the son used a phone app to find out where Sanchez-Valera was.

With his body in the back seat, Sanchez-Valera’s “blood splattered” 4Runner was found at Northwest 28th Street & Northwest 37th Avenue. The warrant stated that he was shackled, both hands and feet. The warrant stated that a medical examiner subsequently concluded that Sanchez-Valera had been strangled to death and declared the death to be a homicide. According to the warrant, the roommate recognized the woman Sanchez-Valera had gone to see someone at the hotel and recognized one of the defendants in the house invasion as a friend from Venezuela.

A Violent Street Gang Based In Venezuela

The roommate also stated in the warrant that one of the suspects informed him during the house invasion that they belonged to “Tren De Aragua,” which is known to be a violent street gang based in Venezuela that is currently active in the US, according to the FBI. The warrant stated that Hernandez-Montero was known to Sanchez-Valera and his roommate, and that the roommate had named Hernandez-Montero as one of the culprits in the home invasion. The warrant stated that Hernandez-Montero had reserved and was utilizing two rooms at the hotel, and that his phone was found near the hotel where Sanchez-Valera was seized.

According to the warrant, he was also captured on camera leaving the hotel, and his attire matched that of one of the perpetrators in the house invasion robbery. Salazar-Maita was named as an offender in the crimes by investigators after their identification of him based on mobile phone data indicating his presence at the hotel and a fingerprint that matched Salazar-Maita’s. Right now, the co-defendants are being held without bond in jail. Both Salazar-Maita and Cesar Hernandez-Montero might get the death penalty if found guilty of first-degree murder. State attorneys also filed their choice to pursue the maximum penalty on Tuesday.