In the summer of 2017, a 47-year-old man named Francisco Sagastizado, who had come to the United States from El Salvador about two decades prior, was found dead in a wooded area in Adelphi, Maryland. Friends described him as a happy person who enjoyed music and playing cards, despite facing personal setbacks that led to him living in the woods.
On the morning of July 27, police responded to a call about an unresponsive man and discovered Sagastizado's body in the 7800 block of West Park Drive, where he had been fatally stabbed. The investigation into his death revealed that the incident was the result of a robbery. It is believed that Sagastizado was attacked when he refused to give money to his assailants.
The investigation led to the arrest of two teenagers, a 14-year-old named Elias Portillo and an unidentified 13-year-old. The break in the case came nearly three weeks after the incident when a witness to the stabbing saw the two teenagers in the same area and identified them to a Maryland-National Capital Park Police officer. During questioning, the 13-year-old admitted to his and Portillo's involvement in the stabbing, although Portillo denied it. At least one of the teens reportedly knew Sagastizado.
Following their arrests, both teenagers were charged with first and second-degree murder. Elias Portillo was charged as an adult and held without bond, though he was to be housed in a juvenile facility pending trial. The 13-year-old was charged as a juvenile and taken to the Cheltenham Youth Detention Facility. The arrests of the two boys were noted by authorities as being the youngest suspects in a homicide in Prince George's County in several years.
