‘Activist’ San Diego judge frees Machete-wielding MS-13 executioner known as ‘the witch’ | 5 Sep 2026 | A machete-wielding MS-13 executioner known as “the witch” has been cut loose by an “activist” federal judge in California despite facing an aggravated murder warrant in El Salvador. David Antonio Aviles Perez, 35, was captured by ICE agents in San Diego in April on an international warrant accusing him of aggravated murder. He had been held in federal custody pending his removal from the U.S. But before authorities could arrange for his extradition, Aviles Perez was released last Wednesday by federal Judge Jinsook Ohta, who ordered his release from a southern California ICE detention facility by 5 p.m. the following day.