Federal jury convicts 3 men connected to a deadly kidnapping in Lexington
Three men connected to a fatal 2017 kidnapping that left two people dead were found guilty by a federal jury Wednesday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Rosario Barraza, 32, of Phoenix, Az., and Ramon Camacho Zepeda, 54, of Lexington, were convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and interstate transportation of stolen automobiles, the DOJ said. John Betancourt, 27, of Puerto Rico, was convicted on a charge of interstate transportation of stolen vehicles, the DOJ said.
Jose Tlatenchi, 39, and Jean Serrano-Jimenez, 31, both Pennsylvania residents, previously accepted plea agreements for their involvement in the crime. Serrano-Jimenez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping while Tlatenchi pleaded guilty as an accessory after the fact to the kidnappings, according to court records.
On Sept. 14, 2017, police were dispatched to Blue Sky Parkway after 29-year-old Jose Olascoaga and 27-year-old Marco Antonio Tunai Ortiz’s bodies were found in the trunk of a car. Court documents say that Barraza and Camacho Zepeda killed Olascoaga and Ortiz at an automotive shop owned by Olascoaga.
Barraza and Camacho Zepada were allegedly distributing cocaine and heroin in Lexington and Olascoaga had incurred a debt to them, according to testimony presented at the trial, the DOJ said.
Two vehicles owned by Olascoaga were stolen during the offense and were taken to Wilkes-Barre, Penn., according to the DOJ.
The Lexington Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Kentucky State Police primarily conducted the investigation with assistance from the New York City Police Department, the Harlingen, Texas Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and multiple Pennsylvania police agencies.
A pathologist from the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s office said in court testimony that Olascoaga’s cause of death was attributed to “chop wounds” to the head and asphyxiation. Ortiz died from asphyxiation, according to the pathologist.
Barraza, Camacho Zepeda and Serrano-Jimenez could face life in prison while Tlatenchi faces up to 15 years and Betancourt up to 10 years in prison, the DOJ said. A judge will factor in U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before making a final decision on the sentences.
Barraza, Camacho Zepeda and Betancourt are all scheduled for sentencing on July 25. Serrano-Jimenez is scheduled for sentencing on May 12 and Tlatenchi is scheduled for sentencing on July 7, the DOJ said.
