Skip to content

MS-13 gangbanger Anthony Gutierrez Meza sentenced to 22 years for brutally killing teen, leaving him ‘virtually unrecognizable’

A member of the vicious MS-13 street gang was hit with a 22-year prison sentence Tuesday in the beating death of a Long Island teenager — who was so brutally attacked, his hands were nearly amputated, prosecutors said.

Anthony Gutierrez Meza, 25, pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in May for luring 18-year-old Estiven Abrego Gomez to a Greenlawn park, where gang members took turns beating him with baseball bats, machetes and knives — leaving him “virtually unrecognizable.”

“There is no reasonable explanation that could ever justify this defendant’s conduct,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement Tuesday.

“However, the defendant’s actions are made even more senseless given that he took the life of the victim for no reason than to advance his position in the MS-13 gang.”

Meza had gotten permission from higher-ups in the notorious gang to kill Gomez, and messaged the teenager on Facebook to meet him at the park to smoke marijuana on Aug. 20, 2016.

When Gomez showed up at the park, he was ambushed by Meza and other MS-13 members.

The gangbangers “proceeded to take turns hitting the victim with the bat, stabbing and slicing him with the knives and chopping at him with the machete until they were satisfied that he was dead,” prosecutors said in a press release.

“The victim’s injuries were so severe both of his hands were nearly amputated,” the release said.

Gomez was targeted for death after he allegedly flashed the signs of a rival gang on social media.

Meza pleaded guilty on May 30 and was sentenced Tuesday by Suffolk County Judge Tim Mazzei to 22 years in prison plus five years of post-release supervision.

Two other MS-13 members previously pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the fatal attack.

Carlos Lopez Campus pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges in 2021, and Elmer Gilberto Santos Contreras, who gave Meza the green light to kill Gomez, also pleaded guilty to murder in 2019.

The three were members of the Normandy clique of MS-13, which is short for Mara Salvatrucha-13.

Carlos Lopez Campus pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges in 2021, and Elmer Gilberto Santos Contreras, who gave Meza the green light to kill Gomez, also pleaded guilty to murder in 2019.

The gang, which has had a foothold on Long Island for several years, is notoriously violent.

Today's News.
For Conservatives.
Every Single Day.

News Opt-in
(Optional) By checking this box you are opting in to receive news notifications from News Rollup. Text HELP for help, STOP to end. Message & data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Privacy Policy & Terms: textsinfo.com/PP
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.