EVERETT — The 16-year-old Monroe girl giggled last summer when two detectives asked her about the Brown Pride Soldiers.
The nervous giggling gave way to reluctance. Ana Cary Ayala Bustos didn’t want to talk about the Brown Pride Soldiers. She asked the detectives why they were asking so many questions about them.
Bustos on Tuesday was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Antonio Marks, 17, in Sultan. A Snohomish County jury also found that Bustos participated in the June 17 slaying to keep her position in the Brown Pride Soldiers.
That could mean more time behind bars for Bustos. The standard sentencing range is 10 to 18 years in prison. A judge could sentence her to longer, including life in prison because the jury believed her motive for the attack was gang-related.
“It may not factor into sentencing but it was important for trial purposes,” Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow said. “I wanted to be able to tell the whole story of what happened.”
Marks’ death is convincing evidence that there are gangs in Snohomish County, Darrow said Tuesday.
Darrow alleged that Bustos and four other people attacked Marks, a rival gang member, because he disrespected them.
A video surveillance tape showed Marks being kicked, stomped on and stabbed. He bled to death.
Four other young people, including the man who stabbed Marks, 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 girl showed little reaction when the judge read the verdict. During breaks in the trial Bustos often stole quick looks at her mother and other relatives in the courtroom. On Tuesday she was led off in handcuffs without looking back.
“They’re all behind bars. Now my son can rest,” Marks’ mother, Angelina Reyes, said after the verdict was read. “Maybe this will send a message to gang members. Maybe they’ll think twice about what they’re doing.”
Reyes said she didn’t want to believe her son was in a gang.
“I was in denial. I choose to believe he was a ‘wannabe’ gang member,” Reyes said. “Gangs are real. They’re here and they’re real.”
She encouraged parents to intervene any way they can to keep their kids out of gangs. Pay attention to what they’re wearing. Check their MySpace pages. Listen to them, Reyes said.
“Don’t let your guard down,” she said.
Bustos didn’t know Marks. She did wear blue like her fellow gang members. She had three dots tattooed on her arm, same as the gang’s leader. A bandana was tucked neatly into the pocket of her backpack. The letters “BPS” were written in black marker.
Detectives asked Bustos why she joined the gang.
“Just because I wanted to,” the girl said.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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