Opinion ID: 1291973
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Colon's Murder

Text: Hinestroza lived in a Kansas City area apartment with Monica Osma (Osma), Colon's sister and Andres-Borja's aunt. On November 19, 1998, the apartment was reportedly robbed by two unknown males, who tied and beat Osma, and demanded to know where she kept the money. After being beaten, Osma told the intruders that the third stair on the staircase contained a hidden compartment with money. The apartment was ransacked and approximately $240,000 was stolen. Hinestroza was concerned law enforcement might become involved, so Hinestroza sent Osma to Houston for medical treatment. On November 26, 1998, Hinestroza, Jaime Hurtado (Hurtado), Ortiz, and Pluterco Tello (Tello) visited Osma in Houston. Upon receiving unsatisfactory answers to questions about the robbery, Ortiz and Tello threatened that a dead body must appear in order to satisfy La Oficina. As everyone left the apartment, Osma's nephew, Edward, saw German Sinisterra (Sinisterra) on the street outside the apartment. Edward knew Sinisterra was a killer, testifying later that if you need someone to get smoked, Sinisterra would do it. On November 28, 1998, back in Kansas City, Hinestroza asked Andres-Borja and Colon to accompany him to the Drury Inn in Overland Park, Kansas, to meet with Sinisterra, Ortiz, and Tello. Andres-Borja knew Sinisterra and Ortiz as [g]un[s] for hire associated with Hinestroza and Montano. Andres-Borja knew Sinisterra was Jaime Hurtado's right hand man and Montano allowed Ortiz to pick up and receive drugs and collect money on Montano's behalf. Hinestroza told Andres-Borja that Sinisterra, Ortiz, and Tello would accompany them to meet Percy Smith (Smith) to sell Smith over one kilogram of fake cocaine because Hinestroza thought Smith stole the $240,000. Andres-Borja believed Sinesterra, Ortiz, and Tello were along to restrain and maybe kill Smith. After meeting with Smith, Smith led the group into a second house. Hinestroza, Sinesterra, Ortiz, and Tello entered the house, put guns to the heads of Andres-Borja and Colon, physically assaulted them, bound them with duct tape, and continued to beat them. The attackers demanded to know where the money was, referring to the stolen $240,000. The beatings continued, accompanied with demands, taunts and threats of death. Andres-Borja was dragged to the basement, and heard Hinestroza order Ortiz and Tello to shoot [him] in the head, and then, [s]hoot the other one, too. Colon was shot and killed. Andres-Borja heard footsteps coming down the basement stairs followed by the sound of another gunshot and ringing in his ears. Initially, Andres-Borja thought he was dead. When Andres-Borja realized he was still alive, he pretended to be dead. The attackers carried Andres-Borja out of the house and put him in the trunk of a vehicle alongside Colon's body. The vehicle was driven to Swope Park in Kansas City and abandoned with the bodies still inside. Andres-Borja managed to escape from the trunk. That night, Andres-Borja informed law enforcement about the shooting and the Hinestroza drug conspiracy. Sinesterra, Ortiz, and later Tello were arrested at the Drury Inn without incident. Telephone records showed Hinestroza fled to Texas immediately following Colon's murder. Montano was detained outside of Room 433 at the Drury Inn in the early morning hours of November 29, 1998. Tello had rented Room 433 the night before and had been arrested stepping out of this room. Montano admitted he was at the room to meet with Ortiz. Telephone records corroborated the cooperating witnesses' testimony as to Montano's relationships with his co-defendants. There were 43 calls between Ortiz's cell phone and Montano's home phone in Katy, Texas, from September 3, 1998 to November 5, 1998. In addition, records showed 31 calls between Hinestroza's pager number and Montano's cell phone, including nine calls on the day of Colon's murder. Finally, on November 28, 1998, three calls were made from Sinesterra's hotel room to Montano's cell phone. Police searched Montano's Lexus. The search discovered a slip of paper with the name German Sinisterra, a piece of paper with the name Artis, a knife, and receipts for cash and wire transfers. A search of Montano's apartment revealed a loaded handgun, ammunition for a second handgun, cash receipts, and a Sunbeam scale. A search of another apartment, recently abandoned by Montano, resulted in the recovery of a scrap of paper with Tello's name and date of birth.