news-record.com

A federal jury in Charlotte on Monday found an MS-13 gang member guilty of killing two brothers in a Greensboro restaurant in 2007, The Charlotte Observer reported today.

Jurors must now decide whether Alejandro Umana, 25, is eligible to face the death penalty, the newspaper reported.

Prosecutors said Umana killed Manuel Garcia Salinas, 42, and his brother Ruben Garcia Salinas, 31, to maintain MS-13's reputation and to advance his position within the gang's criminal enterprise. Both were killed Dec. 8, 2007, at Las Jarochitas restaurant at 3738 High Point Road.

Umana also was found guilty of conspiring to extort money from Charlotte drug dealers to increase MS-13's revenues, and of intimidating witnesses to prevent them from cooperating with authorities investigating the murders.

On Monday, prosecutors called several witnesses to bolster their case that Umana should be eligible for death.

A woman who worked at the Greensboro restaurant recalled haltingly how she tried to persuade Umana to leave before the shooting, then dove to cover her baby as bullets flew. Police officers and firefighters recalled finding spent bullets and treating a man who was shot in the shoulder.

To be eligible for the federal death penalty, a person must meet several criteria -- including killing or attempting to kill multiple people in a single incident, and placing bystanders in grave danger during the crime.

If jurors find him eligible for the death penalty, they must then decide if he should get death or life in prison.

If he's found ineligible for the death penalty, Umana will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.