Illegal Immigrant Wanted In New York Sentenced For Local Murder
A man living in the United States illegally was sentenced for killing a missing man in the Hudson Valley.
Santos Vasquez-Ramirez, 28, of Pawling, New York, confessed earlier this summer to killing a man in Putnam County.
Dutchess County Man Confessed Killing Taxi Driver In Putnam County
In June, Vasquez-Ramirez pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree, confessing to the intentional killing of Aurelio Orbez of Danbury, CT.
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According to the Putnam County DA's office, Vasquez-Ramirez "is in the US illegally" and wanted for a DWI arrest in August 2025.
Officials say he never appeared in court for the DWI charge, and a warrant was issued.
Orbez was reported missing by his family on December 1, 2025. Police soon determined that Orbez, a taxicab driver, picked up Vasquez-Ramirez near the Brewster Metro-North Train Station on that date.
Shortly after, Vasquez-Ramirez's taxi was found abandoned at the Purdy Train Station.
Orbez's body was found and recovered from the Croton Falls Reservoir on Dec. 6, 2025.
Sentencing In Putnam County Court
On Tuesday, Vasquez-Ramirez was sentenced in Putnam County Court to 21 years to life in state prison.
The Putnam County District Attorney's Office reports that a physical altercation broke out inside the cab over an unpaid fare from a previous ride.
Vasquez-Ramirez strangled Orbez to death, abandoned the cab in Westchester County, and dumped the body.
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