Three South Jersey men were charged in the vicious June robbery and assault of an elderly Vineland couple, Cumberland County authorities announced Thursday morning. Word of the arrests was first reported Wednesday on NBC10 News at 6.
Police arrested Heraldo Cordova Ramirez, 44, and Luis Torres, 59, both of Vineland. Victor “Naji Afrika” Torres, 46, of Bridgeton was also charged.
William Ocasio and his wife Ledy, now both 70 years old, suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack. Prosecutors say they were beaten with a hammer in their driveway and then robbed.
Mr. Ocasio was hospitalized for nearly three months. The couple is still recovering from their injuries.
“Last night, I sleep good. I say, ‘Thank you Jesus,’ they find the people who do to us,” Mrs. Ocasio told reporters at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Bridgeton Thursday afternoon.
The couple and their relatives were in the courtroom as Luis and Victor Torres, who are not related, were arraigned. The victims and their loved ones say they did not know any of the suspects previously.
Victor Torres maintained his innocence as the judge discussed his legal representation.
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“I don’t need no attorney because I didn’t do nothing. I’m only guilty of one thing... they caught me with weed and that’s it,” Torres insisted.
Luis Torres repeatedly shook his head as Judge Benjamin Telsey read a long list of charges. His daughter, who also attended the hearing, would not comment.
Each of the suspects is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail. Ramirez is scheduled to be arraigned Friday morning.
At the news conference to officially announce the arrests, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae would not comment on what led investigators to the trio, but said she believes intense media coverage of the case helped police make the arrests.
“It was the tireless, dogged, hard work of the investigators involved who worked day and night to solve this crime,” Webb-McRae said.
Following the arraignments, a victim had similar words of praise.
“I want to say thank you to Vineland Police for working so hard on this case,” said Ledy Ocasio.
