Man convicted of murdering East Boston woman in 2016 with a knife and a propane tank; second suspect scheduled for trial in September

A Suffolk Superior Court jury today convicted Jose Hernandez, at the time 16, of first-degree murder for the death of Blanca Lainez in the garage of a house still under construction on Princeton Street in East Boston on June 14, 2016.

The sentence carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole, subject to a review by the Supreme Judicial Court.

Angel Ramos-Olivia, who was also charged for Lainez's murder, faces trial on Sept. 11, the DA's office says.

Both Hernandez and Ramos-Oliva stabbed Lainez 15 times and beat her with a propane tank. Lainez’s body was discovered the next morning by workers.

Lainez was an immigrant from El Salvador. Her murder came after several other East Boston teens from Central America were brutally murdered by members of local MS-13 gangs, but officials at the time said her murder was unconnected.