Man Gets 21 Years To Life For Murder Of Danbury Taxi Driver

DANBURY, CT — A New York man was sentenced Wednesday to 21 years to life in prison for the murder of a Danbury taxi driver following a dispute over an unpaid fare, according to the Putnam County District Attorney's Office.

Santos Vasquez-Ramirez, 28, of Pawling, New York, was sentenced Aug. 26 in Putnam County Court after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 66-year-old Aurelio Orbez.

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Orbez was reported missing by his family on Dec. 1, 2025, after he failed to return home from work the night before, prosecutors said. His body was recovered from the Croton Falls Reservoir six days later.

Investigators determined Orbez picked up Vasquez-Ramirez near the Brewster Metro-North train station on the morning of Dec. 1.

Investigators learned the two had become involved in an argument over an unpaid fare from a previous ride, prosecutors said.

Surveillance video showed Orbez's taxi traveling south toward Route 22 and continuing toward North Salem, prosecutors said. Vasquez-Ramirez was later captured on surveillance boarding a Metro-North train at the Purdy station, where Orbez's taxi was recovered four days later.

Prosecutors said records showed attempts to use Orbez's Chase credit card.

Vasquez-Ramirez was arrested Dec. 12 following an investigation involving the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Danbury Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police and New York State Police.

Prosecutors said Vasquez-Ramirez admitted to murdering Orbez during the investigation. An autopsy determined Orbez died by strangulation.

Vasquez-Ramirez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in June.

Orbez's family delivered an emotional statement during Wednesday's sentencing, describing the years and moments with their father that were taken from them.

"We do not know whether you will ever care about the pain you caused," the family said. "But there is something you need to know: you did not only kill Aurelio. You took our father from us."

Putnam County District Attorney Robert Tendy said the sentence would never fully account for the family's loss.

"This murder took away a husband, father, uncle, and respected community member," Tendy said. "There is a hole in the Orbez family, and in the community, that will never be filled."

According to an earlier release from the district attorney's office, Vasquez-Ramirez was in the United States illegally and had previously been arrested on a DWI charge in August 2025. Prosecutors said he failed to appear in court in that case and a warrant was issued.

Wednesday's sentencing release did not address his immigration status.