Gwinnett County

Gwinnett County teen murdered by gang members for not ratting out friend, police say

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Two Gwinnett County teenagers are being accused of robbing someone at gunpoint to try and get into a gang.

Police say one of those young men trying to get into MS-13 was 17-year-old Yordi Hernandez. His friend, 16-year-old Jose Daniel Martinez, was a witness to the robbery, but six days later he was found dead.

Channel 2′s Matt Johnson learned that Hernandez tried walking away from MS-13, according to testimony from detectives in separate case in Norcross involving the teenager.

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Martinez was a witness for Gwinnett County after the armed robbery.

“[Martinez] was able to point out that that was Yordi. He knew Yordi already because that was his best friend,” an officer testified on Friday.

Last week, another detective testified that Martinez was murdered for lying to MS-13 gang members about where Hernandez was. The gang members allegedly wanted Hernandez to rejoin the gang, but Martinez refused to give up the friend who was like a brother to him.

Martinez was found shot to death on March 1.

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Police say Hernandez and a 16-year-old, who are both being charged as adults, were arrested for robbing a vape shop at gunpoint.

Investigators say this is a common form of gang initiation.

“They are furthering the gang monetarily by taking the carts so that they can sell them so they can purchase more narcotics and firearms,” another detective testified.

Martinez’s murder remains a separate case. Dennis Caldazilla-Hernandez, 20, has been arrested in connection to Martinez’s death.

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