Thread: Family held captive in home invasion

3 arrested following armed home invasion

Updated: Thursday, 19 Nov 2009, 7:28 AM EST
Published : Wednesday, 18 Nov 2009, 7:56 PM EST

By Holly Bristow
FOX 35 News

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Frightening new details about a home invasion in Winter Garden emerged on Wednesday. Police said the family had been held captive since Sunday morning.

Four suspects knocked on the door of the home at 2125 Roberts Landing Drive, then proceeded to tie a father, mother and 5-year-old up with duct tape and clothes and blindfold them. The family was forced into their sports utility vehicle, according to one suspect's confession, and taken to a home somewhere in Apopka.

On Monday, the family was taken back to their home at gunpoint. The female victim, Marcela Borges, was then forced to drive one of the defendants to the Bank of America where they had her withdraw $23,600 from the family's account.

Then on Tuesday, there was an altercation when Marcela removed her own blindfold. She pulled down the mask of one of her captors, a young female.

According to an arrest affidavit, the female captor then screamed, "She saw my face and knows who I am! You have to kill her!"

Borges was able to loosen her bonds and jumped from a second story window. A nearby construction worker, Junior, said he heard gunshots and could not believe what he saw.

"I heard some gunshots... looked up to where I heard the gunshots, and saw a guy with a hand gun shooting at this lady. He shot two or three shots, went and got into a black SUV. There was another guy in it already waiting for him and they took off. After that I saw a coupe more guys come from behind the house and jump the fence and run," said Junior.

Victor Manuel Sanchez, 20, and Miguel Diaz-Santiz, 25, were captured by police shortly after running from the scene. Both had initial court appearances on Wednesday. Judge Heather Higbee ordered no contact with victims or co-defendants. A public defender was also appointed. Neither inmate has any prior bookings into the Orange County Jail.

A third suspect, Alexander Diaz-Hernandez, 19, was caught around 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. Investigators said he is a Mexican national who can only speak Spanish, but is cooperating with authorities. The fourth suspect, a female, is still on the run.

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/or ... -nightmare

Group accused of terrorizing Winter Garden family for 2 days

Authorities still search for woman who also was involved



Victor Manuel Sanchez (from left), Miguel Diaz Santos and Oscar Diaz Hernandez were arrested in the home invasion. (November 19, 2009)

By Susan Jacobson, Sentinel staff writer
November 18, 2009

Winter Garden couple and their son were terrorized for two days by four people who kidnapped them at gunpoint, forced the woman to withdraw nearly $24,000 from the bank and shot her as she tried to escape, police said Wednesday.

Three men have been arrested, and police are seeking a fourth suspect, a woman. The home invaders targeted the family and knew a lot about them, but investigators did not say how the information was acquired.

"It appears to us that it is not a random act," Winter Garden Lt. Keith Ralston said.

The ordeal began Sunday morning for Rubens Morais, 48, president of RLM Trucks Carrier, and Marcela Borges, 27. The couple were with their 5-year-old son, Ryan, when they answered a knock at the door of their home on Lake Roberts Landing Drive, Ralston said.

The 3,700-square-foot house is in a gated community, but the gates were open that morning, he said.

The intruders, armed with guns, pushed their way in, blindfolded the family and drove them in their own SUV to a house in Apopka, where they were held captive for the night, a police report says. The next day, they were taken home, still blindfolded and bound with clothing and duct tape. Borges was forced to drive to a bank in Ocoee and withdraw $23,600.

On Tuesday, Borges pulled down her blindfold and a mask that the woman home invader was wearing. The woman screamed: "She saw my face and knows who I am. You have to kill her!" the report says.

Borges was able to free herself and leap from a second-story window shortly before 1 p.m. As she ran toward her next-door neighbor's house, one of the intruders shot her in the left side of the back. The bullet passed through her body and shattered her left wrist. Morais was struck on the head with a blunt object, but he was not seriously hurt.

Borges is recovering at Orlando Regional Medical Center, Ralston said. Her son was not hurt.

A man who police say escaped with the female suspect in the victims' Audi Q7 was arrested Wednesday in Apopka. Oscar Diaz Hernandez, 19, of Orlando was being held without bail on charges of attempted homicide, kidnapping and home-invasion robbery.

Cousins Miguel Diaz Santiz, 25, and Victor Manuel Sanchez, 20, who live together in Apopka, were arrested Tuesday and were being held without bail on the same charges. Immigration authorities are looking into their status.

The sport utility vehicle was found abandoned Tuesday at Winter Garden Village at Fowler Groves shopping center.

Also Tuesday, two schools were locked down while authorities searched for the suspects.

Anika Myers Palm of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Susan Jacobson can be reached at 407-540-5981 or sjacobson@orlandosentinel.com.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 0309.story

This is bad when schools have to be shut down.