Two suspected drug traffickers are facing federal charges for allegedly participating in the murder of two individuals—including a pregnant woman—to prevent them from testifying in San Diego drug trafficking cases, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced March 5.
Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta, 22, and Ricardo Orizaba, 21, are charged in the deaths of Cesar Armando Murillo, 44, and Maira Sofia Hernandez, 33, who was six months pregnant at the time of her death. All were residents of Yakima, Washington.
“These executions were an assault on our justice system, designed to silence witnesses and instill fear,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath in the Tuesday statement. “The obligation to protect witnesses is paramount and the United States will fully prosecute intimidation and violence designed to interfere with the justice system.”
The case stems from a drug seizure involving vehicles passing through San Diego area ports of entry between August 2021 and October 2021. According to the indictment, Mr. Madrigal-Birrueta, identified as a leader of a drug-trafficking ring, is accused of orchestrating the importation of the seized drugs.
Court filings reveal that by August 2022, the investigation had pinpointed a group of individuals operating out of Yakima. After special agents from Homeland Security Investigations interviewed Mr. Murillo and Ms. Hernandez, the pair were murdered within days.
Mr. Orizaba is also charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder.
Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations working with Washington State Police to exhume remains on Sept. 13, 2023. (Courtesy of the United States Attorney's Office)
After a year-long investigation employing a range of techniques including geophysics, aerial surveys, chemical soil analysis, cadaver dogs, and other law enforcement methods, the victims’ remains were found in September 2023.
According to prosecutors, both victims had sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the head and were subsequently buried in a remote high-desert area near Yakima.
Mr. Murillo is survived by two minor children, and Ms. Hernandez is survived by her three minor children.
“The cartels and drug trafficking organizations have reached beyond our borders, bringing their criminality to every city and small town in our interior,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations operations in the Pacific Northwest. “The murder of witnesses is an afront to our rule of law but [we], along with our law enforcement partners, have the resources to uncover these horrible crimes and the dedication to dismantle the organizations harming our population, wherever they may be located.”
Apart from the homicides, Mr. Madrigal-Birrueta is charged with possessing a machine gun for drug trafficking purposes, following the seizure of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, firearms, and body armor from his drug trafficking organization by investigators.
Federal courts in California and Washington state ordered Mr. Madrigal-Birrueta and Mr. Orizaba to be detained pending trial. Both are now in custody.
