That does not mean that Alex is guilty. There may be an innocent explanation for Alex’s statements and ultimately a jury will hear that explanation and make a decision.

Until that happens, Alex will most likely remain in jail. Tom’s comment at the end of his article, to the effect that the time to make a deal is ending ignores one important fact. Alex will not make a deal because he will not “rat out” members of the gang. Whatever Alex is or is not, he cannot do that. It’s a code that even former members adhere to. The only deal Alex can make is to plead guilty without implicating anyone else. That won’t earn him much of a break in a sentence for murder.

All in all, things do not look good for Alex, and they don’t look good for the rest of the former gang members who try to get others out of gangs. Hector Maroquin was the first to cast doubt on whether a former gang member is the right type of person to lead a program offering a way out of gangs. If Alex pleads or is convicted, it will be another damaging blow to other anti-gang programs run by former gang members. It will also be devastating to the many people who believe in Alex.

“Those who support defendant cannot be faulted for doing so with the fervor they have shown; defendant has operated in support of Mara Salvatrucha all along, without their knowledge, while accepting their support. This makes him the worst possible danger to the community — a person in a position of trust who has abused that trust, and whose loyalty to MS-13 will assure that he continues to do so.”