MS-13 gang member sentenced to life in prison for murder

BEDFORD, Va. (WDBJ) - An MS-13 gang member has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Raymond Wood.

Josue Coreas-Ventura was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, for aggravated murder and abduction, plus 10 years for gang participation.

Ventura was found guilty in February 2022.

A witness in the trial in 2022, who was an MS-13 leader in Maryland, said Coreas-Ventura was someone else from the same clique. He says Coreas-Ventura was told to go to Virginia, where drugs were eventually sent.

The witness said Coreas-Ventura found out someone else was selling drugs in the area and that he wanted to make an example out of the person in order to show that MS-13 controlled the area.

Later, a former Bedford County Sheriff’s Office K-9 deputy said he pulled over a car Coreas-Ventura was in, the day after Wood’s death.

Two pairs of gloves were found on Coreas-Ventura by the deputy during the stop; one of the gloves had the DNA of Raymond Wood on it.