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Convicted killer receives three life sentences
A man convicted of murdering a woman and two of her children in Elmore County more than 10 years ago will spend the rest of his life in prison following his sentencing in Fourth District Court on Monday to three consecutive life terms.
Jorge Lopez-Orozco received the maximum punishment in connection with the 2002 slaying of Rebecca Ramirez and her two children, Miguel, and Ricardo.
In a nearly three-week trial that ended last November, the 12-person jury was unanimous in declaring him guilty on three counts of premeditated murder. He was convicted of killing Ramirez and her two children some time between July 30 and Aug. 1 of 2002. Their bodies were found in a burned-out car in southeastern Elmore County.
The victims were discovered by two airmen from Mountain Home Air Force Base, who were hunting in the area about ten days after authorities believe the three were killed. Evidence presented at the trial indicated that Lopez-Orozco shot and killed the victims before he set fire to the car to destroy the evidence.
Lopez-Orozco was originally scheduled to be sentenced in January. However, Terry Ratliff from the Elmore County Public Defender's office, requested the two-month delay to give his client a chance to review information in the pre-sentence investigation.
The additional time was needed due to the length of the document and the fact that Lopez-Orozco needed an interpreter during the review process.
Two members of Ramirez' family provided testimony during Monday's sentencing. It included a written statement from Paul Olmerez, the oldest of Ramirez' children, who was unable to be present at the sentencing hearing.
"We are no longer his victims," he wrote. Instead, Lopez-Orozco gets to experience what it's like to be in maximum security. "Over time, his name and life will become a forgotten memory."
Noemi Ramirez took the stand to provide her comments. The teen originally planned to go with Lopez-Orozco and her mother and her two brothers that fateful day in 2002. But at the last minute, she decided to get out of the car to stay with her grandparents.
"I want him to look at me and to see my mother's face," said Ramirez, who was just seven years old when her mother and brothers were murdered. "I hope he remembers her face every day that he's in (confinement)."
During her opening statement at the hearing, county prosecutor Tina Schindele emphasized the "callous and heinous" nature of these crimes.
Ramirez died shortly after her 29th birthday, leaving behind five children. But she didn't die alone, Schindele emphasized.
"They were executed by this man... with no reason or justification," she said.
Evidence presented at the trial proved that Rebecca and Miguel were each shot twice. However, forensics evidence was unable to conclude whether Miguel was also shot, only that he died from violent means, Schindele said.
After the murders, Lopez-Orozco used his family's help to flee to Mexico where he was later reunited with his wife and their children. He remained there for seven years, using a false name to hide his identity before he was captured in 2009.
What really struck investigators was how Lopez-Orozco referred to Ramirez following his arrest, the prosecutor said. Prior to the killings, he and Ramirez were romantically involved and was considered a trusted member of her family.
"He showed no emotion, no sorrow," Schindele said regarding Rebecca's death. "He couldn't be bothered to remember her name."
During questioning by sheriff's investigators, Lopez-Orozco simply referred to Ramirez as "that woman in the newspapers," the prosecutor added.
Schindele urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence on each of the murder convictions, adding that it was fitting for Lopez-Orozco to spend the remainder of his life in prison due to the nature of the crimes.
His record showed that he is devoid of any chance of rehabilitation, the prosecutor said.
"If he shows no sorrow... how can he show any ability to be rehabilitated," Schindele added.
However, Ratliff disagreed with the prosecutor's views of rehabilitation. During his comments at the hearing, he said Lopez-Orozco was a hard-working individual who genuinely cared for his family.
"It shows he has the ability to be a part of society," Ratliff said.
While the defense team understood the magnitude of the guilty verdicts, Ratliff asked the judge to consider a lesser sentence of 30 years in prison, which he said would serve as an appropriate deterrent for Lopez-Orozco while providing proper protection for society.
Lopez-Orozco chose not to speak prior to sentencing. During the hearing, he remained motionless, showing no outward signs of emotion.
The death penalty was taken off the table by former county prosecutor Aaron Bazzoli as a condition of Lopez-Orozco's eventual extradition from Mexico in October 2009. The Mexican government will not extradite any suspect facing a potential death sentence.
Prior to sentencing, the judge outlined several details of the case. While the trial clearly answered most of the facts surrounding the murders, it left one unanswered: Why did Lopez-Orozco choose to killed Ramirez and her children?
"The court has a great difficulty determining why" he killed those three individuals, Fourth District Judge Timothy Hansen said.
Prior evidence showed no signs that Lopez-Orozco was a troubled individual or that there was any problem in his upbringing. There were no signs that was mentally ill or that he had issues with alcohol or substance abuse.
The court returned to the possibility that "these killings were senseless crimes," the judge said. They were committed by a person who showed no remorse in these deaths.
Hansen classified the case the "most egregious and heinous" crimes that he's ever dealt with in his 20 years on the bench. The judge then imposed the maximum sentence, emphasizing that the risk to the public would always be present if Lopez-Orozco were ever released from prison.
Members of Ramirez' family present in the courtroom sobbed softly to themselves as the judge read the sentence.
"I feel a lot better now; I can breathe now," said Ramirez' younger brother, Jose "Joey" Ramirez.
During the hearing, the family began to fear that Lopez-Orozco would receive a lighter sentence.
"We were worried that he would only do 30 years in prison," Jose Ramirez added.
"I'm just relieved that he got a life sentence," Noemi Ramirez said. "Although it took many years, he's put away where he can do no more harm."
"I just want (Lopez-Orozco) to suffer the pain that my daughter went through," said Rebecca's mother, Guadalupe "Lupe" Almarez.
"I'm happy that justice was served this day," added Manuel Almarez, who was Rebecca's grandfather.
"Finally it's over," said Helen Hernandez, who was Rebecca's mother-in-law. "I just wanted to see him go to jail where he's unable to hurt anymore children. Now he can learn how it is to be without his own children."
Monday's sentencing brought a sense of closure for people like Sheriff Rick Layher, who had remained involved in the case from the beginning.
"It's been a long go for everybody involved," Layher said. "But justice was finally served. Rebecca's family can finally put their lives back together the best they can and keep the memories they have."
Having the opportunity to close the case had similar significance for Schindele, who was a deputy prosecutor for the county at the time of the murders.
"It was a complicated case due to the fact that it was a cold case with a limited amount of evidence," she said.
Despite the countless hours over the past 11 years, Schindele remains satisfied that justice was finally served. At the same time, it gave Rebecca's family the closure they desperately sought.
"I'm very happy that her family obtained what they needed -- to vindicate Rebecca and her boys."
Stepping out into the hallway after the sentencing hearing, several of Rebecca's family donned T-shirts. Each shirt included pictures of Ramirez and her two young children.
Written above the images included the words, "Justice finally served: Rebecca, Miguel and Ricardo."