A Montgomery County Judge found 24-year-old Iris Alonzo-Salgado guilty of three separate charges on Friday. They include first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and participating in a criminal organization that led to someone’s death. Alonzo-Salgado had opted for a bench trial, waiving her right to a jury. When she returns to court for sentencing on January 21, 2026, she will possibly face two life sentences plus another 25 years.
Multiple Defendants
Her conviction is the latest update in a case that has unfolded slowly since 18-year-old Rosa Sanchez Merino was killed in May 2023. Investigators alleged four defendants drove Sanchez Merino from New Jersey to Maryland Here they walked her into the woods in Olney and fatally stabbed her with a machete. Police were led to her remains, buried in a shallow grave, by co-defendant Roberto Rivera-Delgado four months later.
Rivera-Delgado later pleaded guilty to the same charges Alonzo-Salgado now faces. He awaits sentencing. A third defendant, Aracely Abarca-Melgar, has yet to stand trial. Details about the fourth co-defendant remain sealed because the individual is a minor.
Gang Involvement
Law enforcement officials say the killing was ordered by MS-13, a criminal gang also known as Mara Salvatrucha. Prosecutors have emphasized the defendants attacked Sanchez Merino at the gang’s direction. Assistant State’s Attorneys Teresa Casafranca and Gabriel Carrera, leads on the case, credit the Montgomery County Police Gang Unit and Major Crimes Division for the work that led to Friday’s conviction.
