A man has pleaded guilty to murder in the killing of a taxi driver in Putnam County, New York. According to investigators, the killing happened during a fight over a cab fare. The guilty plea brings a measure of resolution to a case that began late last year.
The Putnam County District Attorney said that 28-year-old Santos Vasquez Ramirez pleaded guilty to murder on Wednesday. The plea means he has admitted responsibility for the death rather than going to trial. Prosecutors had built the case against him over several months.
The victim was identified as 66-year-old Aurelio Orbez of Danbury. He was a taxi driver, and his death has been felt in the community where he lived. The case drew attention because of the circumstances in which he was killed.
Investigators say Orbez picked up Vasquez Ramirez near the Brewster train station last December. The dispute, according to authorities, was connected to a previously unpaid cab fare. What began as a disagreement over money turned deadly.
Prosecutors say Vasquez Ramirez strangled Orbez and then dumped his body in the Croton Falls Reservoir. The disposal of the body in the reservoir was among the details laid out by authorities. The discovery and investigation led them to a suspect within days.
Vasquez Ramirez was arrested days later outside his home in Pauling. The arrest came as investigators pieced together the events surrounding the killing. He has remained in the custody of authorities as the case moved through the courts.
With the guilty plea entered, attention now turns to sentencing. Vasquez Ramirez faces 21 years to life in prison when he is sentenced in August. The final term will be set by the court at that hearing, closing out a case that started with a fare dispute near a train station.