New Orleans robbers used teen girls to lure victim to deadly holdup: cops

A robbery crew operating outside of New Orleans lured their victims with teen girls before a holdup turned deadly, according to police.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said the Metairie gang was mostly teenagers who used social media to set up fake dates where the victims would arrive and be greeted by gunmen.

According to NOLA.com, the crew made off with a number of wallets and cellphones but ended up shooting their fourth victim, 18-year-old Carlos Castillo, to death.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested seven suspected related to the fatal Jan. 22 hold up, including two juvenile girls, in connection with the robberies and homicide. One of the suspects is a juvenile male.

“Daniel Eliu Rivera, 20, Jesus Martinez, 18, Mayki Meza Torres, 19, and a 17-year-old girl worked together on multiple occasions to lure people and rob them,” Sheriff’s office Capt. Jason Rivarde told NOLA.com.

Wilmer Moreno, 19, a 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy participated in at least one of the robberies and were also arrested, Rivarde said.

Officials said the suspects all lived in the area at the time of the robberies and the homicide. Each of the incidents occurred behind the same building where Castillo was found slumped over behind the wheel of a gray Mercedes-Benz on Jan. 23.

According to police, after Castillo was found, investigators suspected it might be connected to other robberies in the area that started earlier in January. In the first robbery, a 31-year-old man arranged to pick “Chinita” up from an apartment in Metairie. While driving, she asked him to pick up a friend. However, instead of a friend, two men, one armed, took the man’s wallet, cash and iPhone.

The gang did the same, with a second armed man, to a 24-year-old man two days later under the guise of driving to buy marijuana. A third robbery occurred Jan. 18 but police did not release details.

Capt. Rivarde said most of the suspects fled Metairie following Castillo’s murder. Authorities quickly rounded them up. Three were arrested in Miami and another in New Jersey by U.S. Marshalls.

It remains unclear if there are other victims.

“There’s the distinct possibility that there are other, unreported robberies that occurred,” Rivarde said