Police: Ambush Attack On Dentist Meant To Silence Star Witness On Upcoming Trial
HIALEAH (CBSMiami) - - Two men have been arrested in the ambush attack on a Hialeah dentist.
Ralph Benjamin, 39, and Hector Ledesma, 34, have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Carmen Ramirez.
Police believe they know why Ramirez was targeted.
Hialeah Police Major Hubert Ruiz told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that Ruiz was flown in to South Florida for the sole purpose of "hunting down Ramirez."
In 2015, she was the victim of identity theft. According to an Orlando police report, the man accused of defrauding her is Ledesma's brother, Jose Ledesma, who reportedly stole $40,000 from her and her dental office.
Ledesma's trial is set for this December and Ramirez is the star witness. If convicted he faces three to five years in prison.
Police note that neither Hector Ledesma nor Benjamin lives in South Florida. Ledesma lives in Orlando and Benjamin resides in the US Virgin Islands.
According to Ledesma's arrest report, the day after the shooting both men purchased one-way tickets to the US Virgin Islands. They were taken into custody on Thursday, November 21, at Miami International Airport.
On Monday, November 18th, the day before the shooting, surveillance cameras captured Ledesma and Benjamin driving a BMW in front of Ramirez's dental office at 820 East 41st Street. according to Ledesma's arrest report.
Ledesma parked at 840 East 41st Street. Both men then got out, walked past Ramirez's office, and went to a grocery store, according to police.
They reportedly remained inside for several minutes, purchased drinks then left the store and drove away.
According to police, surveillance video on Tuesday showed Benjamin being dropped by the same BMW and going into the grocery store.
When Ramirez arrived and began going up the stairs to her office, Benjamin came up from behind and shot her multiple times, according to the arrest report. He then ran to the BMW, driven by Ledesma, and they sped off, according to the police.
Ramirez was struck six times, including in her face, neck, and chest. She was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center where she's currently in a medically induced coma and is listed is extremely critical condition.
A police report says she had a bullet lodged next to her heart. "Twelve shots were fired," said Ruiz. "Six of them struck the victim. The family has been notified about the arrests and they are focused on the recovery. We have learned the victim was a key witness in Orlando and the victim was scammed out of $40,000 and was scheduled to testify and that could lead to a five year prison term."
Ruiz said that Ledesma was a registered sex offender who had served 15 years for an aggravated rape charge in the Virgin Ireland's. He said Benjamin has an open criminal case involving the possession of a firearm by a felon.
