Bronx fugitive in 2010 killing of live-in girlfriend finally arrested in Las Vegas, returned to face charges
The long-shot Las Vegas arrest of a Bronx murder suspect on the lam since 2010 brought tears Saturday to the victim’s niece.
Cold case suspect Hector Ramirez saw his luck run out in the Nevada gambling mecca with his apprehension last month for the brutal stabbing murder of girlfriend Elia Zamora as her helpless 9-year-old son stood watching inside their apartment, police said.
“This is big, oh my God,” said weeping relative Rachel Torres in near-disbelief. “He was caught? Oh my goodness, oh my God. Wow. He knew what he did. He ran. And that was his objective, to be not be caught.”
Ramirez, 41, was returned Thursday to the Bronx and charged with murder, manslaughter and weapons possession, and ordered held without bail in the slaying. The murder suspect, who fought extradition, was already in the wind when police arrived at the Kingsbridge Heights home around 5 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2010, to find the mortally wounded Zamora.
The Mexican immigrant victim died of multiple stab wounds to the chest at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Authorities said the young boy who witnessed the killing escaped without injury, and the murder weapon was never recovered.
Police at the time said the jealous boyfriend believed the victim was seeing another man.
“He had previous incidents of violence toward her, physical violence,” said Torres. “So it just got worse ... She was a very dedicated mom. She was a young woman really just trying to make it out here, and doing the best she can for her son.”
The trail for the murder suspect went cold quickly after the killing. A segment on the program “America’s Most Wanted” failed to produce any tips leading to his arrest, nor did a $22,000 reward posted by the NYPD for information on Ramirez’s whereabouts.
According to police back in 2010, Ramirez was almost immediately identified as the killer but managed to flee quickly. He was only indicted seven years later, with a warrant finally issued for his arrest in 2017.
“There was really not expectations on our end,” said Torres. “I feel like catching him is a start in (getting) that closure. Obviously we’ll have to see how he is prosecuted for the things, and what this is going to bring back ... for the rest of the family. So it’s bittersweet.”
