GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man has admitted that he killed his girlfriend and dumped her body next to a Grand Rapids freeway in March.
The man accused of killing Ruby Garcia on March 22 was 25 years old and from Mexico.
On Monday, he pleaded guilty 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.
Just before midnight, her body was found on US-131 going south near Leonard Street.
He is likely to spend at least 30 to 37 years in jail, plus an extra two years for the felony gun charge.
Chris Becker, the prosecutor for Kent County, said that Garcia’s family wanted the plea deal instead of going to court.
“…there are always the risks of what could go wrong at trial.” Things do happen, even though I was not worried about losing our very good case. Things might be turned around. “There might be a mistake,” he said. They talked about this with the family and agreed with what was done. If you plead guilty, you can be sure of what will happen than if you go to court.
He is going to get his sentence on Oct. 31. Becker said that federal immigration officials would take over after Ortiz-Vite finishes his sentence.
He was caught on March 24 after calling 911 from Ganges United Methodist Church in Allegan County.
Ortiz-Vite can be heard saying on the 911 tape, “I am calling because I want to turn myself in for a murder I did two nights ago.”
The minister told Target 8 that Ortiz-Vite had spent the night at the church. The minister told her that he was clearly upset and that his name was Brian. He did not say what he had done, though.
She said he agreed to go to their Palm Sunday service at 10 a.m. and sat in the back. She knew he was not there while she was preaching. He went to the bathroom to get a phone to call 911.
A detective sergeant with the state police said in May that Ortiz-Vite told him that day that he had not planned to kill Garcia.
The police officer said Ortiz-Vite had been drinking and using drugs. Ortiz-Vite told the cops that he was angry that Garcia wanted to end their relationship after being together for a year.
News 8 was told by Garcia’s sister that the two had known each other for a year but were not dating.
The officer said she was driving him home when she pulled over on US-131 and told him to get out. This caused a fight. Ortiz-Vite would not get out of the car.
The detective said, “During that fight, he remembered that he had his gun with him.” “I think he said it was instinct that made him grab the gun and shoot her several times inside the car.”
Ortiz-Vite first came to the U.S. without permission when she was a child. He was later allowed to stay thanks to DACA, which stands for “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.”
DACA was made possible by an order signed by President Barack Obama in 2012. People who came to the U.S. illegally as children and are now called “Dreamers” were able to get work permits and stay in the country as long as they were doing good things. Every two years, they could ask for extensions.
The suspect in the murder on the highway came to the U.S. as a child.
Target 8 was told by ICE that Ortiz-Vite’s DACA status ended in May 2019. He had already been in jail for 30 days for breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s house and standing over her bed in Wyoming City in 2018, according to court records.
That is not why he was not sent back to his home country. Immigration officials say he came back to the U.S. illegally after being removed after being arrested for drunk driving in Grand Rapids in September 2020. We do not know when he came back.