A New York man was arrested — and allegedly confessed — to fatally choking a cabbie over a pay dispute and dumping the victim’s body near a local reservoir, authorities said.
Santos Vasquez-Ramirez was taken into custody Friday at his home in upstate Pawling in connection to the Dec. 1 murder of Aurelio Zhunio-Orbez, the Putnam County Sheriff’s office announced Saturday.
Vasquez-Ramirez, 27, didn’t know the victim personally but had used his services once before, authorities said.
He was picked up by the 66-year-old cabbie in Brewster when the two apparently feuded and Zhunio-Orbez was killed, police said.
Vasquez-Ramirez then allegedly dragged the body into the woods nearby, with the remains found floating in the Croton Falls Reservoir the same day, authorities said.
“He drove him in the past,” Sheriff Brian Hess said at a news conference Saturday. “The suspect states that’s what the reason for the fare dispute was, a prior taxi ride.”
The accused killer then rode off in the victim’s black Toyota Sienna and abandoned it at the Purdy’s Metro-North train station, just 15-minutes south of Brewster.
The heartless fiend was seen beaming a bright smile to reporters as he was walked by sheriff’s deputies to a waiting patrol car on Saturday — a large red abrasion visible on his right cheek.
“This was a brutal and senseless act of violence against a hardworking man who earned his living serving this community. Mr. Orbez was a father of four, a resident of Danbury, Connecticut, and someone who didn’t deserve the fate he suffered,” Hess said in a statement.
The arrest was the result of “old-fashioned police work,” authorities said, noting they conducted a massive video canvas, checking dozens of trains, platforms, and street cameras to track down their man.
Zhunoi-Orbez was remembered as a family man on social media.
“My uncle was a dedicated father, brother, uncle, and friends,” niece Isabel Alvarado wrote in a Gofundme page benefiting the family.
“He was deeply loved within his community and in other communities as well. As a local taxi driver, he built strong connections with the people he served, and many came to appreciate his kindness, generosity, and hard work,” the heartfelt message read.
That page has raised more than $8,500 dollars towards the goal of $12,000.
Vasquez-Ramirez is charged with murder in the second degree and robbery in the first degree.
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