A New York man was apprehended for an alleged double homicide a week after he was released without bail for an arson charge.
Luis Gabriel Gomez, 27, was apprehended by the FBI Phoenix Fugitive Task Force in Salome, Arizona on Tuesday, after allegedly fleeing New York following the alleged killings of a mother and a daughter in Yonkers, police say.
The alleged murders took place over the weekend “sometime between Friday evening and Saturday morning,” the Yonkers Police Department stated.
The victims, 70-year-old Isabella Triano and 38-year-old Trisha Miller, were discovered on November 1 during a welfare check at their Yonkers home, according to police. A concerned third party requested the welfare check, and upon arriving at the scene, police forced entry into the home once they were unable to make contact with anyone inside the residence, police said.
“Within the home officers discovered the lifeless bodies of two females, both having died from apparent multiple stab wounds,” police stated.
Authorities say they were able to identify a person of interest within hours “and in collaboration with local, state, and Federal authorities, tracked him to the area of the Arizona, Mexico international border.”
Ramos was allegedly known to the victims, according to authorities.
As of Wednesday, Ramos was awaiting extradition back to New York where he will be arraigned on two second-degree murder charges, authorities said.
Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller stated in a press conference Ramos was recently arrested on an arson charge, but was released on his own recognizance.
“Unfortunately, just about a week ago, I think it was eight days, on the 26th of October of this year, he was arrested for felony arson, and unfortunately he was released on his own recognizance at that time,” Mueller said. “So he was arrested… for felony arson a week ago, and he was out of jail immediately.”
Senior District Attorney of Dutchess County Ryan LeGrady informed the Journal News that Ramos was charged with alleged third-degree arson. The charge is a felony count but it is not eligible for bail to be set LeGrady informed the outlet.
New York’s controversial bail reform law did away with cash bail for defendants facing “many misdemeanor and ‘non-violent felony’ crimes,” according to the New York Post. The law was a central issue in district attorney elections in both Suffolk and Nassau Counties on Long Island, which resulted in victories for Republicans.