Satanic Ritual Killing In US? 2 MS-13 Gang Members Suspected Of Murdering Hispanic Woman In Houston

Two members of the MS-13 gang of El Salvador were put behind bars Thursday in Harris County jail in Houston for kidnapping and murdering a Hispanic woman as part of a so-called satanic ritual followed by the gang. The body of the woman, aged between 15 and 25 years, was found two weeks ago on the side of a southwest Houston road.

Miguel Angel Alvarez-Flores, 22, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera, 18, were charged Wednesday. Prosecutors said Alvarez-Flores has given a statement to police admitting to the murder in a court appearance Thursday morning. Alvarez-Flores also said that he was the leader of the gang and killed the woman on the orders of someone else, KPRC reported.

However, Emily Detoto, attorney for Hernandez-Rivera, said Alvarez-Flores' confession was likely not obtained in accordance with the constitution.

"I’m always cautious to call a statement a confession because until I see it with my own eyes and see how it was obtained, it could just be a statement about what he saw or what he heard. Even if it was a confession, if it wasn’t constitutionally obtained, then it probably wouldn’t be admissible anyway," Detoto told KPRC.

The woman's body was found on Feb. 16, and according to the court documents filed at the time, a 14-year-old girl, who was a witness for the case, revealed details about being sexually assaulted by these gang members and claimed she was held hostage for 18 days.

According to the witness, she ran away from her school on Feb. 2 after which the two gang members kidnapped her and kept her in an apartment on Glenmont Road and sexually assaulted her for four days. She was then handed over to a man called "Flaco" in another residence that belonged to six other gang members. The teenager said that she was forced to take drugs and drink alcohol, and was raped by the gang members. She also told the investigators that Alvarez-Flores tattooed an image of the Grim Reaper from her knee to her foot, according to ABC13.

The witness also mentioned that she saw another girl named Genesis, who was also held captive. According to her, Genesis questioned Alvarez-Flores about the shrine that represented the gang's satanic beliefs. Alvarez-Flores allegedly told his members that "the Beast did not want a material offering but a soul."

Hernandez-Rivera told the police that Alvarez-Flores said to him: "Prepare yourself. It’s your turn next."

The police believe that Hernandez-Rivera was asked to kill the woman and the gun was handed over to him by Alvarez-Flores. They were reportedly in a hurry because it was believed that they were going to meet a drug dealer to buy weed. The court document said that Hernandez-Rivera then pulled the trigger and killed Genesis with one shot that hit her head and Alvarez-Flores allegedly shot a second bullet into her chest, Fox News reported.

The unidentified body is being speculated to be that of Genesis, KPRC reported.