Teen MS-13 member charged with strangling autistic woman

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BALTIMORE -- A 17-year-old boy believed to be a member of the international gang MS-13 is accused of strangling a 20-year-old woman to death in Aberdeen last summer, police said.

The suspect, who police say is an undocumented non-citizen from El Salvador, was tied to the death of Kayla Hamilton through DNA evidence. He was arrested in Edgewood early Sunday morning and is charged with first-degree murder.

The suspect is also facing rape, robbery, and other charges.

Hamilton's family told detectives she was autistic and recently moved to Aberdeen with her 22-year-old boyfriend, police said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore determined her death to be a homicide by strangulation.

Tammy Nobles, Hamilton's mother, said she hasn't been the same person since her daughter died.

"I'm her mother, I'm supposed to be there to protect her, but you can't protect your kids when they're adults," Nobles said. "But, I just feel responsible. I was supposed to keep her safe."

Lt. C. William Reiber said Hamilton's death impacted investigators, working around the clock to help bring the family closure.

regardless of cause or motivation nobody deserves to die like that. If she was "in the wrong place" does that mean she deserved that? No matter where or what time of day, nobody deserves to be murdered.