In the early hours of a summer morning, the life of 27-year-old Benito Estevan Bueno of South Bend, Indiana, was tragically cut short. On June 11, 2017, a dispute that began inside Bar Louie at the University Park Mall in Mishawaka spilled out into the parking lot, escalating into a fatal encounter. Mishawaka police were called to the scene around 2:40 a.m. regarding a large fight and discovered Bueno with at least one gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy would later confirm that he died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation into Bueno's death initially led authorities to another man, Miguel Rosales. He was charged with murder in connection with the shooting. Witnesses had reported a heated discussion between Rosales and Bueno inside the bar, which then moved outside. However, as the legal process unfolded, the murder charge against Rosales was dismissed. He eventually pleaded guilty to battery with a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness, admitting to striking Bueno with a bottle during the altercation but not to firing the fatal shots.
Further investigation and witness testimony redirected the focus of the case to Oscar Orozco, a 40-year-old man from Chicago. According to witnesses, after the bar closed, a member of Orozco's group began antagonizing someone in Bueno's circle of friends. This led to a large brawl in the parking lot. During the melee, Bueno and another individual were reportedly struggling over a gun when Orozco stepped in and fired the shots that killed Bueno. Following the shooting, Orozco and his companions fled the scene.
In March 2018, nearly a year after the incident, Oscar Orozco was located and arrested in Chicago. He was charged with murder and a firearm enhancement in February 2019. His trial took place in September 2019, where a jury found him guilty of the murder of Benito Bueno. The following month, Orozco was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with 45 years for the murder charge and an additional five years for the firearm enhancement, bringing a measure of closure to a case that had seen a complex and winding path to justice.
