Gang members sentenced for drive-by shooting that killed 2 teens
Two members of the notorious Atlanta gang "Vatos Locos," or "Crazy Guys," were sentenced Monday to life in prison for killing a teenage couple in a November 2008 drive-by shooting.
Venda Suastegui, 25 and Filiberto Cuevas, 26, each plead guilty to two counts of murder, two counts of felony murder, four counts of aggravated assault and weapons charges, a Fulton County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman said.
Policcaripio Luviano, 18, and Blanco Badillo were shot while driving along I-85 southbound near the Peachtree Street exit. They had been celebrating Badillo's 17th birthday.
The defendants shot the couple because they thought a rival gang member, whom they had tussled with earlier in the evening inside the El Chapparral club on Buford Highway, was inside Luviano's car. They followed Luviano to a nearby Waffle House and then onto the interstate, driving alongside the vehicle and opening fire, killing the teens instantly.
Suastegui and Cuevas then then opened fire on a second vehicle, injuring a passenger. They were identified three months later following a tip to immigration authorities. Each man confessed to the shootings and admitted that they were trying to shoot rival "Southsider" gang members.
The defendants were sentenced to two concurrent life sentences plus 80 years by Fulton Superior Court Judge Wendy Shoob.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
