Man admitted to shooting woman, leaving body beside freeway, records show

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man arrested Sunday by Michigan State Police has been charged with felony murder in the shooting death of a woman whose body was found beside a Grand Rapids freeway late Friday.

Charges against 25-year-old Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who officials say was in the U.S. illegally, include felony murder and carjacking. He was arraigned on five felony charges Tuesday afternoon; bond was denied.

Ortiz-Vite admitted to killing 25-year-old Ruby Garcia with a handgun he purchased illegally, court records show. He and Garcia had been in a dating relationship, according to the documents.

“Through the investigation, it is apparent that he and the victim, Ruby, were in a romantic relationship,” Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said Tuesday at a news conference. “So this is another case of a domestic violence homicide that we’ve seen, quite frankly, far too often over the last few years.”

Family: Woman found dead on highway loved to make people laugh

A citizen of Mexico, Ortiz-Vite was deported from the U.S. in 2020 but returned illegally, federal officials said Tuesday.

According to court records, “Brandon confessed to shooting Ruby multiple times during an argument while inside her vehicle.”

It happened on the shoulder of southbound US-131 near Leonard Street. Ortiz-Vite then fled in the woman’s 2023 Mazda before abandoning it, court records show.

It appeared Garcia had been run over in addition to being shot, investigators wrote in court documents.

“(Ortiz-Vite) stated that once she appeared deceased, he unbuckled her seatbelt and removed her from the vehicle,” a detective wrote in court documents. “He then stated he drove her vehicle away from the scene.”

Her car was recovered Saturday in the South Haven area. “It had damage believed to be bullet holes with suspected blood stains inside,” according to the documents.

On Sunday, Allegan County 911 received a call from Ortiz-Vite who said he wanted to surrender to police, court records show. He was arrested at a church, sources said.

Police recovered a 9mm handgun, which Ortiz-Vite said “he had purchased illegally,” court records show.

Ortiz-Vite was booked into the Kent County jail on Sunday on outstanding warrants from 2020.

MSP: Person of interest in custody for body found on US-131

Ortiz-Vite was a person of interest early on in the death of Garcia, who listed an address on the city’s Southwest Side.

An examination of Garcia’s cellphone indicated a text conversation between Garcia and Ortiz-Vite, court records indicate.

“During the conversation, it was apparent that both the deceased and Brandon had met at her residence the night of the homicide approximately an hour before it occurred,” an MSP detective wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

MSP: Body with gunshot wounds found on US-131 in GR

Ortiz-Vite was deported in September 2020 following a drunk driving arrest in Grand Rapids and returned “at an unknown date and location,” according to a news release from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Following his arrest in Allegan County on Sunday, the ICE Detroit “lodged a detainer with the Kent County Jail for Ortiz-Vite,” ICE said in a release.

Ortiz-Vite has had several run-ins with local law enforcement since 2017, including drunk driving and illegal entry into a residence.

He was cited in Grand Rapids in July of 2017 for driving while unlicensed or license not valid. He was 18 at the time.

Six months later, Ortiz-Vite was arrested in the city of Wyoming and charged with illegal entry without owner’s permission. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge and was placed on probation for one year.

A bench warrant for his arrest was issued when he failed to appear for probation and failed to pay fines and court costs. His probation was terminated and Ortiz-Vite was given 30 days in jail.

In August of 2020, he was arrested by Grand Rapids police for suspicion of drunk driving and driving on a license that had been suspended/revoked/denied.

A bench warrant was issued for his arrest for failure to appear for a settlement conference.

It took nearly four years, but Ortiz-Vite was arraigned by video Monday in Grand Rapids District Court on the outstanding bench warrant.

He is scheduled to appear in court April 9 on the most recent felony charges.

— News 8’s Susan Samples contributed to this report.

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