A man accused of killing his Michigan girlfriend after returning to the U.S. after deportation is scheduled to stand trial for murder Wednesday.
The case against Brandon Ortiz Vite, a Mexican citizen, became a political flashpoint in April former President Donald Trump accused the Biden administration of failing to keep him out of the country. Ortiz Vite, 25, was deported in 2020. It is not known whether he returned during the final year of the Trump administration or during the Biden administration.
A judge in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has now found enough evidence to send Ortiz Vite to trial on murder and other charges in connection with the death of Ruby Garcia, 25, who was found dead on the side of a highway on March 22 .
A message seeking comment from attorney Naesha Leys was not immediately returned.
Before the shooting, she and Ortiz Vite were in a car on U.S. 131, arguing about their relationship, investigators said. Ortiz Vite is accused of shooting Garcia in the head, removing her body from the car and then driving away.
Police said the evidence against him includes his 911 call two days later in which he confessed to the crime and stated he wanted to turn himself in. He was at a church attending Palm Sunday services when he called.
