The man who fled the country when his girlfriend went missing in 2017 has now been sentenced to 36 years behind bars for her murder.
Earlier this week, 35-year-old Miguel Angel Buezo was found guilty of murder.
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Buezo is believed to have killed his girlfriend, 26-year-old Karen Ramirez, after the two were seen leaving a club together on March 24, 2017.
If he serves his full sentence, he will be eligible for release in 2061, when he is 71 years old.
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Background on the case
After Ramirez went missing, investigators believe Buezo fled to Honduras and remained there until he moved into Guatemala in Jan. 2018. Buezo was charged on April 6, 2017.
He was arrested in Guatemala on April 9, 2021, and went through judicial extradition proceedings there before finally returning to the states in March of 2022, when he was placed in the Harris County Jail to stand trial for the crime.
According to then-Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg back in 2022, Buezo was captured on camera arguing with Ramirez while sitting in her car in front of their home shortly after the couple left the club on the night of her disappearance.
Ogg’s office said a neighbor heard both of their voices and heard Buezo threaten to shoot Ramirez. Investigators found a bullet hole in the interior of the passenger side door of her vehicle, as well as blood on the floorboards and in the trunk.
MORE INFO: Boyfriend of missing woman charged with murder; police believe he fled to Honduras
Investigators believe Buezo shot Ramirez, then put her body in the trunk and dumped it somewhere to conceal the evidence.
The DA’s office said the next day he told his estranged wife that he was going to Honduras to visit his sick mother. He also convinced her to help move Ramirez’s car to a warehouse district, miles from his home, to further conceal the evidence.
Ramirez’s body was never found despite an extensive search by volunteers and Texas EquuSearch.
“We see once again that when we coordinate with our law enforcement partners, such as the FBI Fugitive Task Force in Houston and the Houston Police Department, a fugitive might be able to run, but they cannot hide,” Ogg said in 2022 after Buezo returned to U.S. soil. “Now that this accused killer is back behind bars, we will seek justice for the victim’s family.”
