Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has authorized prosecutors in Los Angeles to seek the death penalty against three alleged MS-13 members accused of killing an FBI informant. The authorization came in an April 8 letter, clearing the way for federal prosecutors to pursue capital punishment in a case they describe as calculated and retaliatory.
The defendants—Dennis Anaya Urias, Grevil Zelaya Santiago, and Roberto Carlos Aguilar—were arrested in 2025 as part of a broader racketeering and drug trafficking investigation. At the center of the case is the killing of a cooperating witness identified in court documents as “H.B.,” who prosecutors say was targeted specifically because of his role working with federal authorities.
According to the government’s account, the sequence unfolded in a matter of hours. The victim first encountered one of the defendants inside a grocery store in South Los Angeles, an interaction that allegedly escalated into an attempted shooting that failed when a weapon malfunctioned. After that initial encounter, the situation didn’t dissipate—it intensified.
Investigators say two other men arrived shortly afterward, and surveillance footage captured them chasing the victim into the store. During a phone call with an FBI handler, the informant reportedly described what was happening in real time before gunshots were heard and the line went silent.
Prosecutors argue the killing was not random. They say members of the MS-13 clique involved were aware of the victim’s cooperation and had been given approval to carry out the attack.
A recorded conversation cited in court filings includes a gang figure referring to the act as something that “had to be done,” reinforcing the government’s claim that the killing was deliberate and tied to internal enforcement within the organization.
The charges reflect that framing: murder in aid of racketeering, along with conspiracy to retaliate against a witness. If convicted, the defendants could face the death penalty, a punishment federal officials emphasize is reserved for cases they consider especially severe.
The case is scheduled for trial in July and falls under a broader federal initiative targeting transnational criminal organizations. But beyond that context, the decision to pursue capital punishment sends a clear message about how authorities are approaching crimes involving witnesses—particularly those cooperating with law enforcement in organized crime cases.
Now, the legal process moves forward with the highest possible penalty on the table, shifting the focus to what prosecutors can prove in court and how the defense responds to a case built around surveillance, recorded calls, and the sequence of events leading up to the killing.
