Thread: GA: Suspect In Salon Robberies Now Charged With Murder

Suspect In Salon Robberies Now Charged With Murder

Posted: 6:33 pm EDT November 4, 2010
Updated: 7:13 pm EDT November 4, 2010

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. -- Clayton County police said an illegal immigrant is responsible for two homicides and a string of armed robberies across three metro Atlanta counties.

Artemio Hernandez, 31, is charged with murder in the death of 17-year old Monica Ambriz. Ambriz vanished during a lunch break from work on Oct. 10. Police discovered her body behind a Jonesboro office building 10 days later.

Forest Park police said they believe Hernandez is also responsible for the robbery and slaying of 61-year-old 61-year old Maria Gloria Galvan de Riveria.

Authorities said Hernandez also committed a bank robbery and held up two Henry County hair salons.

"I thought I was going to die," Dominican Hair Salon owner Judith Ventura told Channel 2 Action News reporter Richard Elliot. She said Hernandez walked into her shop, pulled out a pistol and roughed up one of her stylists.

"He grabbed me from the hair and pulled me over to the register," said stylist Gladys Kazantzis. "So I was really scared thinking he was going to kill me."

Ventura said Hernandez took what little cash she had and ran away.

Henry County police believe he robbed another salon down the street and stole one employee's ATM card. They said he threatened to come back and rape her if the PIN number she gave him was incorrect.

Chamblee police told Elliot they ended the crime spree when they arrested Hernandez on Oct. 26 while he was committing another robbery. Chief Mark Johnson said Hernandez tried to rob the Payless Shoe Source on Buford Highway but an employee was able to escape and call 911. Chamblee police arrived seconds later and made the arrest.

When Ventura heard Hernandez had been arrested, she felt relieved.

"I cried I was so relieved," she said.

Hernandez is in the DeKalb County Jail. Police said he is an illegal immigrant, and federal immigration authorities are investigating.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/25638603/detail.html

Is Double Murder Suspect Illegal Immigrant?

Feds Had Hold On Suspectc After Arrest

POSTED: 7:00 pm EDT November 5, 2010

ATLANTA -- CBS Atlanta News has learned the man accused of killing two women last month is on an immigration hold.

Police said Gerardo Hernandez, 31, who is currently in the DeKalb County jail, had been arrested before prior to last month's crimes.

CBS Atlanta has learned federal immigration authorities have placed a hold on Hernandez, but those authorities have not confirmed that Hernandez is in the United States illegally.

But that raises the question. If the counties that arrested Hernandez prior to the charges Hernandez is now accused of, could he have been deported?

Here is a time-line of last month's crime spree. Chamblee police arrested Hernandez on Oct. 26 during an attempted burglary at a Payless Shoe Source.

Investigators said they had already identified Hernandez as a suspect in several other crimes and working to arrest him.

Police said on Oct.12 Hernandez was responsible for a home invasion into Maria De Riviera's Forest Park home and that he killed her.

On Oct. 16, investigators said he kidnapped Monica Ambriz as she took her lunch break from El Progresso in Jonesboro. According to Clayton County police, Ambriz was raped and killed and her body was found on Oct. 26 in a vacant building off of Arrowhead Boulevard.

Investigators said Hernandez is also charged with an armed robbery at El Bank in Jonesboro on Oct. 17, armed robbery and sexual assault at Quick Set in Henry County on the Oct. 23, armed robbery at the Dominican Hair Salon in Henry County on the Oct. 24 and at Paleteria La De Michoacan in Forest Park on the Oct. 25.

Police said Hernandez confessed to all the crimes and told them the motive was money. The other crimes were secondary, according to police.

It took police from three different counties to track down Hernandez. Investigators credit that cooperation and information sharing with being able to peg Hernandez with all of the crimes.

CBS Atlanta News also wanted to know what types of crimes other immigrants were committing.

According to statistics from the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department, there were 2956 illegal immigrants arrested in Gwinnett County since 2008.

Of those 20 were arrested for child molestation, 28 for rape, 453 for other felonies, 263 for felony drug charges to name a few.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/25651035/detail.html