Montgomery County, MD — A 21-year-old Maryland man is facing the possibility of multiple life sentences, plus 40 additional years, after being found guilty in a gang-related murder case.
Edgard Castro-Contreras was convicted on Friday of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the 2022 killing of 20-year-old Edvin Agustin Leon, an incident believed to be tied to the MS-13 gang. He was also found guilty of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit attempted murder of a second victim, and two counts of using a firearm during a violent crime.
The charges stem from a shooting on November 9, 2022, when Leon and another individual were reportedly led into a wooded area of Northwest Stream Valley Park in Gaithersburg. Both were shot; Leon was killed, while the second victim survived by pretending to be dead and later crawling through the woods to call for help.
Investigators linked the attack to MS-13, saying that senior gang members supplied weapons and ordered lower-level members to carry out the shooting. Six individuals were arrested in connection with the case in 2023, and prosecutors believe Castro-Contreras was the gunman who fatally shot Leon.
While Castro-Contreras was found guilty, the jury could not reach a verdict for co-defendant Sender Emanuel Godoy-Lemus. Prosecutors plan to retry that case. Another co-defendant, Brayan Bonilla-Andrade, previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges including first-degree murder and attempted murder, and faces up to two life sentences plus 20 years.
Two additional suspects, Jonathan Videz Martinez and Carlo Yaque Del Cid, are still awaiting trial.
Castro-Contreras is scheduled to be sentenced on August 18.
