Man who killed girlfriend along US-131 sentenced
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man who shot and killed his girlfriend along a Grand Rapids freeway was sentenced Thursday afternoon.
Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 26, was sentenced to 37 to 100 years in prison, with an additional two years for felony firearm. He received credit for 228 days served.
"You, sir, are a cold-blooded murderer," Judge Mark Trusock said at sentencing. "This is an intentional crime, and you are a danger to society. You are a very violent individual, and you need to be removed from society."
Ortiz-Vite pleaded guilty in September to one count of second-degree murder, one count of carjacking, one count of carrying a concealed weapon and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony for the March 22 murder of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia. Her body was found shortly before midnight on southbound US-131 near Leonard Street.
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"This was a situation, sir, where you took the life of Ruby Garcia, who was a young lady who had everything in front of her," the judge said Thursday.
In a May hearing, a state police detective sergeant testified that Ortiz-Vite told him he hadn't planned to kill Garcia that day. The detective said Ortiz-Vite had been drinking and using cocaine. Ortiz-Vite told police he was upset because Garcia wanted to break up with him after about a year together.
Years before woman found dead on US-131, suspect broke into ex's home
The detective testified that Garcia had pulled over on US-131 and told Ortiz-Vite to get out, leading to a fight. Ortiz-Vite told the detective that he reached for his handgun and shot Garcia multiple times in the vehicle; then, Ortiz-Vite got out of the car, opened the driver's door, recalled "signs of life" in Garcia and shot her one more time, according to the detective's testimony. An autopsy showed she was shot four times, including twice in the head.
Detective: US-131 murder suspect saw woman move, shot her again
"You were arguing with her, this was on US-131. You ended up shooting her multiple times. She was shot in the chin, the left temple, the upper arm, the hand, the head," Trusock said Thursday. "And you started shooting when you were in the car and then you took her out of the car, put the gun to her head, pulled the trigger and shot her again. There is just no justification or excuse for this."
Ortiz-Vite was on March 24 after he called Allegan County 911 from Ganges United Methodist Church. According to the pastor, Ortiz-Vite had spent the night there.
Ruby Garcia murder suspect spent night at church before turning himself in
Immigration officials have said that Ortiz-Vite, a native of Mexico, entered the United States illegally as a child but was approved to stay under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, his DACA status expired in 2019, and he was deported in September 2020 following an impaired driving arrest. It's not clear when he returned to the U.S.
Before he was sentenced, Ortiz-Vite said his actions did not represent his community.
"I want to apologize to my community, my Latino/Hispanic/Mexican community. I am a proud Mexican national whose actions have brought great shame and dishonor to our people, our people who come to the United States in search for a better living. A dream that I have taken for granted, which has filled my heart with shame," he said. "The actions I took on the night of March 22 do not define who my people are. I apologize with the utmost respect to all immigrants from all walks of life."
