Newburgh Man, 26, Charged with Using a Pipe to Kill a Man

A 26-year-old Newburgh man Tuesday was arrested on a charge of second degree murder in connection with a pipe attack that killed a man.

Alvaro Ramos-Lopez was arrested at an unnamed business in Thornwood, according to authorities. He is alleged to have killed fellow Newburgh resident Armando Soriano-Martel, 40, who Ramos-Lopez struck several times in the head and upper torso with the pipe, said Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler in a prepared statement.

“I am gratified that the close cooperation of the City of Newburgh Police Department, the New York State Police, FBI Hudson Valley and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office resulted in the fast apprehension of this defendant,” District Attorney Hoovler said. “The remarkable professionalism and cooperation of those agencies resulted in the arrest of a suspect who had already left Orange County. My office will hold accountable those use weapons on our streets. The loss of human life to wanton violence cannot be tolerated. I commend the City of Newburgh Police Department, FBI Hudson Valley, and the State Police for their investigation of this case.”

According to Hoovler:

On April 3, 2015, at approximately 4:15 a.m., the City of Newburgh Police Department responded to the vicinity of the Rey Del Pollo Bar & Restaurant, located at 394 Washington Street in the City of Newburgh, and found an unconscious man who had apparently been beaten, as well as a bloody pipe. The man was transported by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead. The City of Newburgh Police Department, aided by the New York State Police Major Crimes Unit and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office commenced an investigation. The investigation included attempts to locate Alvaro Ramos-Lopez. On April 6, 2015, Ramos-Lopez was located in Westchester County, where he was arrested by New York State Police Investigators, before being charged by a City of Newburgh Detective with Murder in the Second Degree for beating the victim to death with the pipe. Ramos-Lopez was arraigned in City of Newburgh Court on April 7, 2015. Alvaro Ramos-Lopez was remanded without bail to the Orange County Jail. He is next scheduled to appear in the City of Newburgh Court on April 10, 2015. The case will be presented to an Orange County Grand Jury.

A criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Photo: Alvaro Ramos-Lopez. Photo credit: Orange County District Attorney’s office