A participant in a botched 1998 kidnapping and murder in Ventura County has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his role in the deadly scheme.
Manuel Vasquez, who remained a fugitive in Mexico until his 2023 arrest, appeared in court Monday after conspiring with two other men to kidnap Felipe Arambula, the owner of Taqueria Vallarta in downtown Ventura, over unpaid debts.
On June 13, 1998, Vasquez, then 20, and 19-year-old David Hampton went to Arambula’s home intending to abduct and extort him. When Arambula was away, the pair held his wife and young children hostage.
The men had been acting on orders from Jose Alberto Vasquez, a local poker club owner identified as the scheme’s mastermind.
The plan unraveled when Arambula returned home and confronted the suspects. Hampton shot him to death in front of his family before both men fled the scene.
Hampton and Jose Alberto Vasquez were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1999.
Manuel Vasquez, now 48, was arrested in Mexico in 2023 and extradited to Ventura County last year.
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He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in September.
Vasquez’s attorney said his client “accepted responsibility for his role in Mr. Arambula’s death and has expressed genuine remorse for the pain he caused.”
“Nothing can undo what Mr. Arambula’s family has lost,” Chaney said. “I hope this resolution brings them some measure of peace.”
Vasquez was also ordered to pay restitution to several of the victim’s relatives, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The prosecutor said Arambula’s family never abandoned hope that the case would ultimately bring justice.
“Despite waiting nearly 30 years for justice, the victim’s family never wavered in their belief that
one day all the men responsible for the victim’s murder would be successfully prosecuted,” Senior Deputy District Attorney John Barrick said.
“Special thanks to the Ventura Police Department for their dedication and hard work
regarding this case, which would not have been solved but for their tireless efforts,” he added.