Who is Josue Zepeda-Padilla?
Josue Zepeda-Padilla, 27, of Huntington Station, Huntington, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, United States is an illegal immigrant who had previously been deported. He is a high-ranking member of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a criminal gang and terrorist organization that originated in Los Angeles, California, USA in the 1980s.
On January 6, 2024, a boy, then 15, was lured to the train station in Huntington by another teenager. At the train station, the former was surrounded allegedly by Zepeda-Padilla and his fellow Huntington Station residents Brayan Jimenez Avila, then 23, Marcos Serpos, then 19, Maycoll Ramirez-Cerrato, then 18, and Yeison Chavez-Campos, then 21, while Maybelline Garcia Cornejo, then 22, of Seaford, Hempstead, Nassau County, Long Island was in a car waiting for them.
Avila is also a resident of Amityville, Babylon, Suffolk County. He and the six other suspects are members and associates of the MS-13 clique Huntington Criminal Locates Salvatrucha (HCLS).
After taking the boy’s money and cellphone, the five Huntington Station men allegedly dragged him to the waiting car driven by Cornejo. The men allegedly beat, kicked and punched the boy.
The suspects drove the boy to the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in Brentwood, Islip, Suffolk County, Long Island and entered an abandoned building where he was stabbed in the neck allegedly by Zepeda-Padilla. The suspects fled the scene after one of them hit the boy in the head with a rock, knocking the boy unconscious.
After regaining consciousness, the boy got out of the building and stumbled down the road where he collapsed. Motorists who saw him rushed him to the hospital where he underwent craniotomy to treat a brain bleed and fractured skull and was operated on to stitch the cut in his neck.
On January 24, 2024, the underage suspect was indicted for first-degree robbery, fourth-degree criminal facilitation and two counts of second-degree robbery. Each of the six other suspects were each indicted on first-degree robbery, first-degree gang assault, first-degree assault, first-degree attempted assault, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree gang assault, two counts of second-degree assault and three counts of second-degree robbery.
Days after the assault, all of the suspects were arrested except Zepeda-Padilla. On the morning of March 5, 2025, he was found in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina, USA by the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force (CRFTF) of the U.S. Marshals Service with the help of the U.S. Immigration Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Winston-Salem Police Department.
Refusing to comply with the authorities’ orders, Zepeda-Padilla tried to escape through the attic of a residence in the 3000 block of Gilmer Avenue in Winston-Salem. At around 11:45 a.m., he was arrested after he fell through the ceiling of a connected home that was occupied by women and children at the time.
Zepeda-Padilla was booked into the Forsyth County Detention Center in Winston-Salem. On March 6, 2025, he appeared virtually in Forsyth County District Court in Winston-Salem and communicated with a judge through an interpreter.
On March 14, 2025, Zepeda-Padilla will appear in court for a review of his extradition status. He would be held in Forsyth County for 60 days or until he is extradited by Suffolk County authorities, the judge explained.
CONAN Daily 
Thank you for the insightful article on the recent arrest of Josue Zepeda-Padilla by the U.S.
Marshals. It’s enlightening to see how the law enforcement community collaborates across state lines to enforce justice. One aspect worth noting is the role of federal initiatives, such as Operation Triple Beam, which specifically targets violent offenders in communities.
This operation exemplifies a comprehensive approach to not only apprehending fugitives but also improving community safety. Furthermore, the case highlights the procedural complexities that can arise in immigration cases, especially concerning various legal avenues like the writ of mandamus, which can compel agencies to act when they have failed to do so.
Many individuals in similar situations might benefit from understanding how to navigate such legal instruments effectively, potentially accelerating their cases in a system often perceived as backlogged.
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