Man gets federal prison time for his ties to a Lexington kidnapping that left 2 dead
What you need to know:
- Five men were charged after two Lexington kidnapping victims were found dead in the trunk of a car in 2017. Prosecutors say the deadly incident occurred over drug dealing disputes and an alleged affair as a result of drug dealings.
- Jose Tlatenchi, one of the five people charged, was sentenced to federal prison time Wednesday after pleading guilty to being an accessory to kidnapping after the fact.
- Others involved in the case have been convicted in a jury trial or pleaded guilty. The two men allegedly responsible for the deaths are awaiting sentencing.
Read more about the case:
- Lexington police investigating possible double homicide on Blue Sky Parkway
Records: Drugs, affair led to arrests in deaths of men found in trunk of Lexington car
One pleads guilty, others await trial in case of two Lexington men found dead in trunk
Man pleads guilty after being connected to a deadly kidnapping in Lexington
A man connected to a kidnapping that left two dead has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after he admitted to playing a role in the fatal altercation.
Jose Tlatenchi was sentenced Wednesday afternoon in a federal courtroom in Lexington after pleading guilty to being an accessory to a kidnapping after the fact.
Tlatenchi previously faced charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and aiding and abetting by transporting stolen vehicles, according to court records. He reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to a reduced charge.
His conviction stems from a fatal kidnapping which took place in September 2017. Two men, 29-year-old Jose Olascoaga and 27-year-old Marco Antonio Tunai Ortiz, died in the incident. They were both from Lexington.
Judge Karen Caldwell presided over the sentencing, and said while Tlatenchi had nothing to do with the plans to kidnap and kill, or the acts of kidnapping or killing, he was guilty in serious criminal drug activity, which ultimately involved him with the high-risk criminals associated in the case.
“The defendant was involved in criminal drug activity with individuals with a serious criminal history,” Caldwell said. “In electing to engage in that drug activity with serious criminals, you cannot turn your heads to the consequences of that drug activity -- overdose or killing over drug money that we saw in this case.”
But Caldwell also said she leaned towards the minimum sentence for Tlatenchi because the work he was doing inside prisons as a tutor, speaking to kids, obtaining his GED diploma, attending church, and substance use classes. He also had no criminal record prior to the case which concluded on Wednesday.
Tlatenchi’s involvement with the case
On Sept. 14, 2017, police were alerted after Olascoaga and Ortiz’s bodies were found in the trunk of a car off Blue Sky Parkway. Court documents allege that their deaths were the result of a dispute between the victims and the perpetrators over drug money and an affair.
Tlatenchi and three other suspects traveled to Lexington from Pennsylvania just days before the bodies were found and met with Ramon Camacho Zepeda at his residence, according to court records.
After meeting up, Zepeda and the three other suspects — Rosario Diaz Barraza, Jean Michael Serrano Jimenez and John Carlos Betancourt — went to an automotive shop owned by Olascoaga on Blue Sky Parkway, where Barraza and Zepeda killed Olascoaga and Ortiz, according to court records.
Tlatenchi arrived at the auto shop while the assault was in progress, according to court documents. Tlatenchi could see Zepeda holding a large, bladed object that was approximately 16 inches in length, according to a plea agreement that was signed by Tlatenchi. Tlatenchi was present when the victims’ bodies were loaded into the trunk of Ortiz’s car, according to his plea agreement.
The suspects parked the car outside the auto shop. Olascoaga’s wife found the car and the bodies several days later, and called police. Tlatenchi listened to Zepeda and Diaz as they talked about the attack immediately afterward, according to court records.
Diaz-Barraza and Zepeda allegedly demanded money from Olascoaga that was “owed to them from the distribution” of controlled substances, according to court records. A witness also told police that Zepeda believed his wife was having an affair with Olascoaga, according to court records.
Tlatenchi tried to hide Olascoaga’s vehicles by bringing them back to Pennsylvania and obtaining new insurance and registration for them under his name, according to court documents. Tlatenchi admitted to his involvement in the crime during an interview with Lexington police in December 2017, according to court documents.
Serrano also pleaded guilty in this case on March 10, 2021. He is awaiting sentencing.
John Carlos Betancourt was found guilty of aiding and abetting the transportation of stolen vehicles but was found not guilty of kidnapping in a jury trial. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $100 payment of assessment fees.
Ramon Camacho Zepeda was found guilty of kidnapping and aiding and abetting stolen vehicles by a jury in April 2022. He is awaiting sentencing. Rosario Diaz Barraza was found guilty of the same charges. He is also awaiting sentencing.
