In the spring of 2015, a chilling discovery was made in the Caney River in Rogers County, Oklahoma. A partially submerged car, later identified as his taxi, held the body of 38-year-old Rafael Hernandez-Torres in the trunk. A hardworking man who had immigrated from Mexico to the United States with his family around the age of 20, he had built a life in Tulsa, where he was a well-known and respected member of the Hispanic community, running his own taxi business and often serving as a
translator. His life was cut short by a brutal act of violence; an autopsy would reveal he had been shot nine times in the chest and back. The initial scene by the riverbank, with blood, shell casings, and beer cans, along with his pockets turned inside out, suggested a robbery that had taken a violent turn.
The investigation into the death of Rafael Hernandez-Torres soon uncovered a deceptive plot. On the night of April 30, 2015, he had informed a customer that he would be late because he was on his way to help someone with car trouble. Phone records confirmed that he was driving toward the location where his body would later be found. Investigators believed he was lured to the secluded spot under this false pretense by someone he knew, and the violent nature of the crime suggested it was motivated by rage. A key piece of evidence was a burner phone, purchased under a false name, which had been in communication with Hernandez-Torres shortly before his death.
The evidence gathered by authorities, including fingerprints and DNA from the beer cans left at the scene, led them to two suspects: Adan Mora-Ramos and Roman Medrano. Mora-Ramos's fingerprints were found at the scene, and he was eventually located and arrested in Detroit, Michigan. DNA on the beer cans was a match to Medrano. During questioning, both men pointed the finger at the other. Mora-Ramos claimed that Medrano, who allegedly owed him money, was the one who shot Hernandez-Torres. He stated that he only helped dispose of the body out of fear for his own life, a claim that a lie detector test suggested was truthful.
In the end, both men were held accountable for their roles in the crime. Roman Medrano pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and, in July 2017, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Adan Mora-Ramos was charged with being an accessory to first-degree murder. In June 2017, he received a 15-year prison sentence for his involvement.
