Illegal immigrant suspected in murder of Grand Rapids woman had been deported under the Trump administration

An illegal immigrant, who had been previously deported from the US, has been charged with crimes that could potentially carry multiple life sentences in the death of a Michigan woman.

According to The Midwesterner, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 25, who has a criminal record dating back to 2017, was arraigned Tuesday on six charges, including murder, carjacking, felony firearm, illegally carrying a concealed weapon, operating while intoxicated, and driving on a suspended or revoked license.

Ortiz-Vite was arrested on Sunday in connection with the death of a 25-year-old woman whose body was left on US 131 in Grand Rapids with multiple gunshots.

Though authorities have not yet identified the victim, over the weekend, the family of Ruby Garcia identified Ortiz-Vite on social media.

According to the Kent County Court, Ortiz-Vite was previously arrested for breaking and entering in 2018, for operating a vehicle while intoxicated in 2020, and was wanted on a bench warrant in the 2020 case for failure to appear.

Ortiz-Vite was also arrested in July 2017 for driving while unlicensed or non-valid license, pleaded guilty, and paid a $250 fine.
 
According to WOODTV, in 2018, Ortiz-Vite also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for illegally entering a residence in a suburb of Wyoming and was sentenced to a year of probation, but failed to follow the terms and instead served 30 days in jai.

In August 2020, Ortiz-Vite was arrested by Grand Rapids Police for operating a vehicle while intoxicated after causing an accident and property damage. He pleaded not guilty but failed to appear in court after his release from jail on a personal recognizance bond and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He was then deported by the Trump administration to Mexico in September 2020, according to federal officials.

Ruby Garcia’s family is raising funds for her funeral through a GoFundMe campaign.