An illegal immigrant accused of fatally shooting a 25-year-old Michigan woman during an attempted carjacking has since returned to the United States after being deported under the Trump administration, officials said.
Brandon Ortiz Vito, 25, a Mexican national, allegedly confessed to shooting Ruby Garcia repeatedly during an argument late Friday, including the murder of her death, according to court documents. This included images taken after he got out of the car to check. Retrieved by Fox 17stated that the pair were in a romantic relationship.
Ortiz-Vito already has a criminal history in Michigan dating back to 2017, and was arrested on a bench warrant in August 2020 for failing to appear in court for a driving violation, the newspaper reported.
He was then arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and “served with a notice to appear,” an ICE spokesperson told FOX 17.
“He was ordered deported by an immigration judge from the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Review on September 24, 2020, and transferred to Mexico on September 29, 2020,” an immigration official said.
“At an unknown date and location, Ortiz-Vito reentered the United States without being inspected by immigration officials.”
After Garcia’s bullet-riddled body was found on Route 131 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, around 11:40 p.m. Friday, Ortiz-Vito is now facing charges of felony murder, open murder, grand theft of a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon, and firearms. He is charged with felony use. .
Garcia’s car was found abandoned Saturday. The next morning, Ortiz-Vito called 911 himself and said he wanted to surrender, Fox 17 reported.
Michigan State Police picked him up at a church in Allegan County. Court documents state there were obvious blood stains on his clothing.
The immigrant was arraigned Tuesday and ordered held in the Kent County Jail without bail. An immigration officer was filed on his behalf.
According to court records obtained by Fox 17, text messages recovered from Garcia’s cell phone, which was found near her body last week, indicate that Garcia and Ortiz-Vito had planned to meet at her home on the night of the murder. There was found.
Ortiz-Vito admitted during questioning that he shot Garcia several times during an argument inside the car, the newspaper said. The cause of their initial fight was not immediately known.
The suspect told police that Garcia was in the driver’s seat and Garcia was in the passenger seat at the time of the shooting. After the initial barrage of gunfire and gunfire, Ortiz-Vito got out of his car, walked around and shot the woman again, believing she was still alive, documents said.
According to Fox 17, Ortiz-Vito admitted to pulling Garcia’s body from the car, dumping it on the side of the highway, and driving off.
During the arrest, officers found him in possession of a 9mm handgun, the alleged murder weapon, according to documents.
“This is another domestic violence homicide case, and one that we’ve seen, frankly, far too often over the past several years,” Kent County Attorney Chris Becker said at a news conference Tuesday.
Garcia’s devastated sister, Mavi Garcia, said of her slain brother: For people in the Midwest As “an absolutely wonderful person.”
“She lit up the room with her beautiful smile and laugh,” Mavi said. “She loved to travel, worked hard at her job and enjoyed being with her family in her free time.”
