21 To Life For Slaying Of Missing Cab Driver Whose Body Was Found In Croton Falls Reservoir

CARMEL, NY — A case that gripped the Hudson Valley has come to a close with a violent killer sentenced to spend decades behind bars.

Putnam County District Attorney Robert V. Tendy announced that 28-year-old Santos Vasquez Ramirez was sentenced this morning in Putnam County Court to 21 years to life in prison for the murder of local cab driver Aurelio Orbez.

On Dec. 1, Orbez, of Danbury, was reported missing by his family after he did not return home from work the night before. Six days later, his body was recovered from the Croton Falls Reservoir, in the town of Southeast.

On Dec. 6, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office launched a multi-agency homicide investigation that included locations across Westchester and Dutchess Counties. Vasquez Ramirez quickly became a person of interest, according to police. He was arrested on Dec. 12.

During the investigation, it was learned that Vasquez Ramirez entered Orbez's taxicab on the morning of Dec. 1, at the Brewster Metro-North train station. Orbez's cab was seen on surveillance video traveling towards Railroad Avenue, in the Village of Brewster. Approximately thirty minutes later, the cab was captured on the surveillance cameras of several local businesses on Stoneleigh Avenue, traveling south toward Route 22, turning right onto Route 22, and continuing towards the Town of North Salem. Vasquez Ramirez was then seen on video surveillance boarding a Metro-North Train at the Purdy's train station, where Orbez's taxicab was recovered four days later.

Vasquez Ramirez fled by train to the Bedford Hills Post Office, where records showed he attempted to use the victim's Chase credit card. After the transaction was declined, Vasquez Ramirez took a cab from Bedford Hills to the Target in Mount Kisco, where he was seen on surveillance video purchasing men's clothing before entering the store's bathroom and exiting several minutes later wearing the clothes that he had just purchased. He then traveled to the Mount Kisco Metro-North train station and could be seen boarding a northbound train to Southeast, followed by a second northbound train to Pawling, where he arrived at approximately 6:19 p.m. on Dec. 1.

Bank records further revealed that on Dec. 2, Vasquez Ramirez unsuccessfully attempted to link the victim's Chase card to an Android device.

Santos Vasquez Ramirez admitted to murdering Orbez on June 17, in Putnam County Supreme Court. Autopsy results indicated that Orbez died by strangulation.

Tendy stated that "in less than one week, our law enforcement partners identified Vasquez Ramirez as a suspect, tracked him down, and arrested him for this senseless murder. The men and women of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office and, notably, members of the Westchester County Police and MTA, conducted a perfectly executed investigation that resulted in a timely prosecution, guilty plea, and lengthy state prison sentence. The way this case came together and how Vasquez Ramirez was swiftly brought to justice is truly remarkable. It was great police work."

The family of Orbez spoke at today's sentencing and delivered an emotional statement to their father's killer.

"We do not know whether you will ever care about the pain you caused," the family said. "But there is something you need to know: you did not only kill Aurelio. You took our father from us. You took away years we still had left to live with him, conversations we will never have, and moments we will never be able to recover."

Recalling Orbez's famous empanadas, his son William said, "that simple memory means a great deal to us because it speaks to the way he brought people together, shared with others, and gave something made with his own hands. Our father had flaws, like any human being, but his life cannot be reduced to the violent way it ended. He was a person with a history, dreams, work, relationships, and a family that loved him. His absence has left a space that no one can replace."

DA Tendy said the sentencing won't make the victim's family whole again.

"Justice will never fully be served for the loved ones of Mr. Aurelio Orbez," he said. "Their pain is palpable. This murderer took away a husband, father, uncle, and respected community member. There is a hole in the Orbez family, and in the community, that will never be filled. This is truly a tragedy."

SEE ALSO:

• Vasquez-Ramirez Admits To Murder Of Taxi Driver Found In Croton Falls Reservoir
• Arrest Made In Connection With Body Found In Carmel Lake: Putnam County Sheriff
• Fundraiser Launched To Help Pay For Funeral Of Murdered Danbury Man
• Body Found In Reservoir In Carmel, NY ID’d As Missing Danbury Man