Published: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
16-year-old girl convicted in Sultan gang murder
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Dan Bates / The Herald
Ana Cary Ayala Bustos (right) and her lawyer, Karen Halverson, listen and watch as Superior Court Judge Ronald L. Castleberry polls the jury today and finds they were unanimous in a guilty verdict for murder at the Snohomish County Courthouse.
EVERETT – A Monroe girl is facing more than 18 years in prison after being convicted this morning in a gang-related killing on a Sultan street.
Ana Cary Ayala Bustos, 16, was found guilty of second-degree murder. A Snohomish County Superior Court jury also found that Bustos participated in the killing to keep her position in a gang.
That could mean a longer sentence for Bustos. The standard range is 10 to 18 years. Bustos faces up to life in prison because the jury found that her motive for the attack was gang-related.
The 90-pound girl was accused of taking part in the beating and stabbing of Antonio Marks of Marysville. He was a rival gang member who met up with members of the Brown Pride Soldiers on a Sultan street. The June 17 attack was captured on video.
Bustos admitted she participated but denied responsibility for Marks' death.
Marks, 17, was knocked to the ground, kicked, stomped on and stabbed.
Four other young people pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the slaying. They are serving 10- to 15-year sentences. Bustos pleaded not guilty and had her case appear before a jury.
The jury began deliberating on Monday afternoon. They announced their guilty verdict this morning.
Bustos is expected to be sentenced on April 27.
“They're all behind bars. Now my son can rest,” Marks' mother Angelina Reyes said outside the courtroom. “Maybe this will send a message to gang members. Maybe they'll think twice about what they're doing.”
Ana Cary Ayala Bustos, 16, was found guilty of second-degree murder. A Snohomish County Superior Court jury also found that Bustos participated in the killing to keep her position in a gang.
That could mean a longer sentence for Bustos. The standard range is 10 to 18 years. Bustos faces up to life in prison because the jury found that her motive for the attack was gang-related.
The 90-pound girl was accused of taking part in the beating and stabbing of Antonio Marks of Marysville. He was a rival gang member who met up with members of the Brown Pride Soldiers on a Sultan street. The June 17 attack was captured on video.
Bustos admitted she participated but denied responsibility for Marks' death.
Marks, 17, was knocked to the ground, kicked, stomped on and stabbed.
Four other young people pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the slaying. They are serving 10- to 15-year sentences. Bustos pleaded not guilty and had her case appear before a jury.
The jury began deliberating on Monday afternoon. They announced their guilty verdict this morning.
Bustos is expected to be sentenced on April 27.
“They're all behind bars. Now my son can rest,” Marks' mother Angelina Reyes said outside the courtroom. “Maybe this will send a message to gang members. Maybe they'll think twice about what they're doing.”
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