MS-13 Gang Member Charged In 2011 Murder Of Queens Man

Crime & Safety

MS-13 Gang Member Charged In 2011 Murder Of Queens Man Roger Morales, 31, was arrested Thursday morning ​and faces murder in-aid-of racketeering charges.

NEW YORK CITY — An MS-13 gang member has been charged in a Queens man's murder that dates back to 2011, prosecutors announced.

Roger Morales, 31, was arrested Thursday morning and faces murder in-aid-of racketeering charges.

In the spring of 2011, Morales and other members of MS-13 committed a burglary at Norman Mizzell's home in Queens, where they had gone to purchase marijuana. When they realized he was not home, they broke into his house and robbed him.

Mizzell later confronted the group after the robbery, and that's when Morales and others decided to kill him, prosecutors said.

Morales along with co-conspirators obtained a firearm and enlisted the help of another member to kill Mizzell on June 5, 2011.

On the night of the murder, Morales and his co-conspirators traveled to the victim's home, where they shot him several times through a window into his bedroom during a "feigned late-night marijuana purchase."

Mizzell's body was found the next day, prosecutors said.

"As alleged, the defendant and his co-conspirators killed the victim for the twisted purpose of maintaining and increasing their positions in the MS-13 gang," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. "This prosecution reflects the resolve by my office and our law enforcement partners to bring gang members to justice for their violent crimes, and that we will not be deterred by the passage of time."

If Morales is convicted, he faces up to life in prison, prosecutors said.