TWO TEENAGE boys were stabbed before they were chopped more than 100 times by members of a notorious gang in Virginia.

A Federal Judge on July 1 convicted five MS-13 gang members for the kidnap and killing of the two youngsters, 17 and 14, whom they had "erroneously" suspect of being in a rival gang, and a police informant.

The killers, now aged 24 to 31, lured the boys from Falls Church and Alexandria, respectively, into Homes Run Stream Valley Park on August 28, 2016, under the pretext that were holding a gang meeting in the woods.

Gang leader Elmer Zelaya Martinez, 31, who is facing a possible death sentence for this role in the brutal murders of 17-year-old Edvin Escobar Mendez and 14-year-old Sergio Arita Triminio, is reported to have lead his accomplices in the slaying.

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The gang accused Escobar Mendez of being part of a rival gang.

They restrained and stabbed the youngster before "chopping" his body more than 100 times "with knives, machetes and a pickaxe", according to the Justice Department.

The attackers then stuffed his body in a hole that has been dug before the attack.

Harrowing details then show that they killed Arita Triminio in the same manner, after taking him to Escobar Mendez' burial site and showing him a video of the killing.

The accused then proceeded to break his legs and tie him up with his own pyjamas to fit him into another hole 50 yards away from the first victim.

The young boy was accused of talking to police, which is punishable by death under the MS-13's violent code.

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The Department of Justice confirmed the gang members had filmed the killings and sent the footage to gang leaders in both the United States and El Salvador to show their mettle.

The boys' remains were found seven months after they went to missing, and were only identified in December 2017.

A total of 17 defendant's have been charged in the case.

Five defendants, Ronald Herrera Contreras, 24; Henry Zelaya Martinez, 28; Pablo Velasco Barrera, 24; and Duglas Ramirez Ferrera, 25, were on Friday were found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap; murder in aid of racketeering activity; kidnapping resulting in death.

They face mandatory sentences of life in prison.

During the hearing on Friday, Federal Judge Rossie Alston said Zelaya Martinez would receive a separate trial to his co-defendants.

This came after the Justice Department said it would pursue the death penalty against Zelaya Martinez but not against the other 10 co-defendants.

The District Judge said putting the gang leader on trial with 10 others who weren't facing the death penalty would be unfairly prejudicial.

The satanic MS-13 – Mara Salvatrucha 13 – has an estimated 10,000 members operating in at least 10 states across the US, as well as activities in Mexico and other countries in Central America.

It is known for its motto "kill, rob, rape, control".

It originated in California in the 1970s and 1980s as a means to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Angeles area.

Many of the Salvadoran immigrants that formed the gang were trained in guerilla warfare and knew how to handle military weapons.

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The Department of Justice says the gang is allegedly involved in illegal enterprises such as racketeering and using force to extract payments from businesses.

It also accused it of human trafficking and trafficking of stolen vehicles from the US to Central America, as well as weapon struggling and illegal firearm sales.

The gang is also reported to be a large drug distributor.

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