Nine MS-13 Gang Members Arrested in South Florida Cold Case Homicides

BROWARD COUNTY, Florida – U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined Broward County Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony at a press conference to announce the arrests of nine MS-13 gang members in South Florida for four cold case homicides that occurred from 2014-2015.

Beginning in 2015, BSO Homicide Unit investigators started noticing similarities between several violent murders in Broward County. The murders took place in a small area of Oakland Park, appeared to be gang related, and were carried out using knives or machetes. Leads were exhausted and the cases went cold.

In 2020, the BSO Cold Case Unit reopened the unsolved homicides and, using a variety of investigative techniques and modern technologies, detectives pieced together evidence that pointed to MS-13 gang leaders, members and recruits in South Florida and Virginia as being responsible for or involved in the killings.

One of those investigations resulted in an extensive, multi-day excavation in Oakland Park in 2021 that led to the recovery of the body of Joel Canizales-Lara, who was reported missing in 2014.

“The heartless and brutal actions of these ruthless and violent criminals demonstrate a complete disregard for human life,” Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony said.

“BSO’s Cold Case Homicide investigators, who worked closely with our federal partners, proved once again that justice has no expiration date. We owe it to the families of the victims and to this community to make sure the people who committed these heinous crimes are held accountable.”

According to BSO’s Gang Investigations Task Force, the MS-13 gang is known to be active in Broward County but is not believed to have a significant presence in the county. The U.S. Department of Justice has stated that MS-13 is a violent transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador that operates throughout parts of the United States.

“Nine MS-13 terrorists have been taken off our streets and four cold murder cases have been solved thanks to the great investigative work of the FBI and our law enforcement partners,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “Let this be a lesson: no matter how long it takes, we will never give up in our pursuit of justice.”

The Cases

1. Joel Antonio Canizales-Lara, 18
Date: November 23, 2014
Suspects: Wilson Tirado-Silva, Miguel Cabrera Granados, Melvin David Cruz-Ortiz
In late November 2014, MS-13 members lured Canizales-Lara to a field in Oakland Park’s 4200 block of North Dixie Highway. Suspecting he falsely claimed gang affiliation, they stabbed him to death and buried him. His body was recovered in May 2021.

2. Omar DeJesus Gutierrez, 18
Date: January 7, 2015
Suspects: Wilson Tirado-Silva, Andy Tovar
On January 7, 2015, Tirado-Silva killed Gutierrez in Oakland Park’s 200 block of Northeast Oakland Park Boulevard after a witness reported Gutierrez flashing rival gang signs. Tovar, an MS-13 leader, approved the murder. Gutierrez was not a known gang member.

3. Gerson Vilelio Vasquez-Portillo, 22
Date: May 3, 2015
Suspects: Andy Tovar, Melvin David Cruz-Ortiz, Kevin Ricardo Gamez-Melendez, Wilber Geovanni Vigil-Benitez, Wilber Rosendo Navarro Escobar, Jose Ezequiel Gamez Maravilla, Hugo Adiel Bermudez Martinez, Unindicted Co-Conspirator
On May 3, 2015, eight MS-13 members stabbed and shot Vasquez-Portillo in western Palm Beach County, believing he was tied to a rival gang.

4. Chrislet Ondina, 25
Date: October 19, 2015
Suspects: Wilson Tirado-Silva, Melvin David Cruz-Ortiz
On October 19, 2015, Tirado-Silva and Cruz-Ortiz stabbed Ondina to death in Oakland Park’s 100 block of Northwest 41st Street. Detectives believe the killing was part of Cruz-Ortiz’s MS-13 initiation.

Arrests and Legal Outcomes

In July 2022, BSO and federal partners obtained indictments for murder in aid of racketeering against Tirado-Silva, Tovar, Cabrera Granados, Gamez-Melendez, Cruz-Ortiz, and Vigil-Benitez. All six have either pleaded guilty or been convicted and face life in prison. In March 2025, Gamez Maravilla, Bermudez Martinez, and Escobar were arrested for Vasquez-Portillo’s murder and are eligible for the death penalty. A tenth suspect remains at large.