PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A Honduran national will be spending the next eight years in federal prison after he pled guilty to a murder-for-hire plot to kill his mother-in-law and brother-in-law.
Santos Orellana-Hernandez, 47, was living in Port Arthur when he solicited the murder of two extended family members residing in Honduras.
Orellana-Hernandez reached out to Gustavo Ramires, a person located in Honduras, to kill Orellana-Hernandez’s mother-in-law, and brother-in-law, according to court documents.
Orellana-Hernandez offered to pay Ramires $200,000 in Honduran Lempira, which is valued at approximately $8,000 in US currency.
Investigators said Orellana-Hernandez wanted to get revenge on his soon-to-be ex-wife who wanted to divorce him in Jefferson County. Orellana-Hernandez reportedly told his wife that he would make her “cry tears of blood,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Texas.
Orellana-Hernandez told Ramires to kill the two family members on or after April 21, 2020, which was the date when the divorce was to become final.
Ramires later placed a recorded phone call to Orellana-Hernandez and the two discussed the murder-for-hire plot using code language such as “planting the corn.” Ramires told investigators that “planting the corn” meant burying victims’ bodies.
Orellana-Hernandez was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 20, 2020, and taken into custody. He conspired with his brother to intimidate his wife into making her withdraw the murder-for-hire accusation while being behind bars in early June 2020.
On November 4, 2020, the grand jury returned a superseding indictment that added the witness tampering charges.
Orellana-Hernandez pleaded guilty on July 23, 2021, to the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, tampering with a witness by intimidation and threats, and conspiracy to commit witness tampering.
Orellana-Hernandez was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2022 by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
CRIME STOPPERS APP | Download the P3 Tips App
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device