VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A 25-year-old former member of the MS-13 gang has been sentenced to 50 years in prison in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old back in 2018.

In November, 25-year-old Melvin Edgardo Molina-Ramos was found guilty on charges of:

• Solicitation to Commit Murder
• Conspiracy to Commit Murder
• Participate in Criminal Act for Benefit of Gang
• Accessory After the Fact to Homicide

On Monday, a circuit court judge sentenced Molina-Ramos to 65 years in prison with 15 years suspended, leaving 50 years to serve.

The charges stem from an incident in July 2018 after the body of 19-year-old Chesapeake resident Jairo Armando Sanchez-Guardado was found on the shoreline in the Lake Smith/Lawson area by two kayakers.

Investigators say Sanchez-Guardado was found “slumped over in a wooded area of the shoreline.”

The kayakers called police who determined that the victim died from a gunshot wound in the back of his head.

After an extensive investigation which included video surveillance, cell phone data, and witness interviews, detectives revealed that the murder was related to MS-13 gang activity.

MS-13 is a transnational criminal street gang with international membership.

Authorities subsequently arrested Molina-Ramos and four fellow MS-13 gang members involved in the murder of Sanchez-Guardado. Officials say the suspects conspired to kill the victim because they believed he was involved with a rival gang.

At that time, Molina-Ramos was considered the most senior member of MS-13 out of the five co-defendants. Officials say Molina-Ramos ordered Sanchez-Guardado’s murder. As a part of their MS-13 gang membership, the three co-defendants at the scene of the homicide killed Sanchez-Guardado and were threatened with death by Molina-Ramos if they failed or if they spoke of the homicide.

Molina-Ramos solicited and conspired in the murder and provided assistance to the three co-defendants after the murder was completed. Three of his co-defendants currently have trials pending in Virginia Beach Circuit Court.