A sad situation has unfolded after a man arrested for third-degree arson was released without bail and appears to have murdered two women less than a week after being let go.
On Oct. 26, 27-year-old Luis Gabriel Ramos of Yonkers, New York, was arrested after allegedly setting a car on fire near the Taconic State Parkway, according to News 12 Westchester.
Though this was a charge of felony arson, no bail was set, and he was immediately released. One source told The Journal News that “felony third-degree arson charge is not bail eligible,” according to the New York Post.
On Monday, police went to the home of Trisha Miller, 38, and her mother, Isabella Triano, 70, after receiving a welfare check request from a friend who hadn’t seen or heard from Miller since Friday, News 12 Westchester reported.
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At the home on 68 Shipman Ave., they found Miller and Triano deceased in the home. A window was broken and both women appeared to have been stabbed to death, the Westchester Journal News reported.
The crime scene was a tricky one to navigate, and investigators had to don HazMat suits, as the home presented a hoarding situation that had to be bagged for analysis.
Based on the evidence, authorities believe that the women had been killed sometime between Friday evening and Saturday morning. They also had reason to believe that Ramos knew them.
A detective spoke to a former girlfriend of Ramos, and she was able to give them information that led to his arrest. According to the Westchester Journal News, she told authorities that Ramos confessed the crime to her.
“Ramos told (her) that he had gone to a home to confront two women who owed him money and that he had stabbed those women to death, that he was never coming back because he could not go back to jail, and that he had been driving for approximately three days,” she said.
An FBI fugitive task force apprehended Ramos in Salome, AZ, 100 miles from the Mexican border, on Tuesday night. Authorities believe Ramos had driven from Yonkers and was heading to the border, but they managed to find him in time. He is being extradited to New York.
Ramos has been charged with two counts of murder for stabbing the mother and daughter to death.
Triano had worked with Yonkers Public Schools for over two decades, and the district recognized her contributions in a statement on Wednesday, according to News 12 Westchester.
“Ms. Triano-Carpio began her career in 1997 as a custodial worker at Museum Middle School and in 2005 transferred to Saunders Trades & Technical High School,” the statement read.
“This tragic passing significantly impacts the staff and students at Saunders where she spent her last 16 years. Ms. Triano-Carpio epitomized a valued employee who was conscientious about her work and was a beloved member of the school’s family. She is fondly remembered as a caring and kind individual who always ask with a smile, how are you doing and how is your family.”
Many are bemoaning the lack of bail and calling for reform, but it’s too little, too late for Miller and Triano.
“Two people are dead now because of these laws, and they need to be severely, severely changed,” President of the Yonkers Police Benevolent Association, Keith Olson, said, News 12 Westchester reported.
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Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller praised the fast response of the agencies involved in locating and apprehending Ramos after the murders were discovered and said the scene was “horrific.”
“He was released on his own recognizance,” he said at a news conference. “Then fast forward a week later: We have, you know, two women that are murdered.”
“The right description of the scene is horrific. Horrific,” Mueller said, according to Patch. “And our hearts go out to the families…
“In the Yonkers Police Department, we are very, very victim-centric, and we want to make sure that we give them time for us to notify them and show them respect and concern and extend our real, sincere condolences to the family and friends.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
