Authorities last week arrested Xavier Gonzalez, 24, Edgar Ginez, 19, and Jacob Hoffman, 18, and booked them into the county jail on murder charges. Police said the men punched, kicked and stomped on the head of 21-year-old Armando Castro on March 14 at a house near Pecos Road and Washington Avenue. After the beating, Castro was taken to Valley Hospital Medical Center. He died several days later from his head injuries. Police are searching for a fourth man, Dwayne Romero, 24, who is also wanted in connection with the slaying. In gang culture, potential members are "jumped in" to prove their toughness and to show that they can withstand a beating.The four suspects are reputed members of Vicky's Town, a gang with ties to the Surenos, authorities said. The Surenos are a well-established street gang with members spread across the United States and as far as Central America.A relative of Castro declined to comment about the slaying, saying her life could be in danger.
Witnesses told police Castro had gone with the defendants on March 14 to become a full-fledged member of Vicky's Town. While they were outside a house on the 3600 block of Amazon Avenue drinking beer, Gonzalez told another man to turn on the lights of a truck so they could videotape the beating, according to a Las Vegas police report. Gonzalez told Castro that he was going to get jumped in, he counted to three, and then the beating began, the report says. The men beat Castro for 13 seconds. The number 13 is known to be a common symbol for the Surenos. It represents the 13th letter in the alphabet, "M," and signifies the Mexican Mafia, a much larger gang organization that is said to control the Surenos and smaller gang sets.
Castro was knocked out for about 15 minutes after the beating. When he woke, he was woozy and couldn't stand. The other members taunted Castro and told him he "was in," the report said. They then took photos of him. He was dropped off at his house but was so shaky that he needed to be helped to the door. He told a relative that he was attacked "by some black guys," the report states. After police began investigating the slaying, detectives spoke with witnesses who confirmed Castro was beaten.
Police found a video showing the beating posted on YouTube.com under the title "Vicky's Town 13 Court in.""Court in" is another term for "jump in."
The video showed several men beating the victim and stomping on his head. After the beating, Castro is dragged to the back of a truck and the video ends.The video was posted for about seven hours when police found it. It was taken down shortly after authorities watched it. After police arrested Gonzalez, he admitted he recorded the beating and confirmed that Castro was jumped in. Gonzalez told police that jumping in is "a Southside rule" and that after the beating, the recruit is "welcome into the family," the report says. The three defendants in custody are scheduled to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on Thursday. One witness to the beating, who declined to be identified out of fear for her safety, said the gang members were shocked when they learned that Castro was hospitalized. "When they found out he was in the hospital, everybody felt bad," she said. "They couldn't believe it."
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