Current:Home > ContactMexican man gets 39 years in Michigan prison for a killing that became campaign issue -Elite Financial Minds
Mexican man gets 39 years in Michigan prison for a killing that became campaign issue
View
Date:2025-04-12 12:17:05
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A Mexican national who is in the U.S. illegally was sentenced Thursday to 39 years in a Michigan prison for killing his girlfriend, a crime that suddenly was thrust into the U.S. presidential race because of the man’s immigration status.
“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,” Brandon Ortiz Vite told a judge in Grand Rapids.
Ortiz Vite, 26, pleaded guilty in September to murder and other crimes.
Ruby Garcia was found shot to death on the side of a Grand Rapids highway.
She and Ortiz Vite had been in a car on U.S. 131, arguing about their relationship, when he shot her in the head, removed her body from the car and drove away, investigators said.
Last spring, former President Donald Trump publicly accused the Biden administration of failing to keep Ortiz Vite out of the country after he was deported in 2020. But it’s not known whether he returned to the U.S. during the last year of the Trump administration or during the Biden administration.
AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of more than 115,000 voters nationwide, found that Trump’s supporters on Election Day were largely focused on immigration and inflation.
“You, sir, are a cold-blooded murderer,” Judge Mark Trusock told Ortiz Vite. “This is an intentional crime, and you are a danger to society.”
Ortiz Vite suggested he was using drugs that day.
“I can’t explain my mind that night,” he said. “However, deep down within, I knew I was wrong.”
veryGood! (1896)
Related
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Kylie Jenner Goes for Gold in New Bikini Photos
- You'll Be On The Floor When You Hear Ben Affleck Speaking Fluent Spanish
- China accuses Biden of open political provocation for equating President Xi Jinping to dictators
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- At over $108 million, Klimt's Lady with a Fan becomes most expensive painting ever sold in Europe
- Canadian wildfire maps show where fires continue to burn across Quebec, Ontario and other provinces
- India and Pakistan to clash at Cricket World Cup in October — unless politics gets in the way
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- The Dixie Fire Has Destroyed Most Of A Historic Northern California Town
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Get $151 Worth of Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Skincare for Just $40
- Greenland Pummeled By Snow One Month After Its Summit Saw Rain For The First Time
- Sydney Sweeney's Second Collection With Frankies Bikinis' Sexiest Yet Swimwear Line Is Here
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Children born in 2020 will experience up to 7 times more extreme climate events
- Pregnant Rumer Willis Reveals Future Family Plans Ahead of Welcoming Baby
- Satellite Photos Show Just How Bad The Flooding From Ida Has Been In New Jersey
Recommendation
Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
Lea Michele's 2-Year-Old Son Ever Is Back in Hospital Amid Ongoing Health Struggle
Beijing's record high temperatures prompt authorities to urge people to limit time outdoors
Police fatally shoot 17-year-old delivery driver, sparking condemnation by French president: Inexplicable and inexcusable
Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
Biden Sounds Alarm On Climate Change In Visit To Hurricane-Wracked New Jersey
Estonia becomes first ex-Soviet country to legalize same-sex marriage
Lindsie Chrisley Shares How Dad Todd Chrisley Is Really Adjusting to His Life in Prison