Henchman behind California restaurant owner’s botched kidnapping murder sentenced 28 years later

Fuente: New York Post

A henchman behind the 1998 horrific botched kidnapping-murder of a restaurant owner in Ventura County has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his participation in the scheme. Manuel Vasquez, who had been on the lam in Mexico until he was apprehended in 2023, faced justice Monday after he plotted with two other suspects to kidnap Felipe Arambula, the owner of Taqueria Vallarta in downtown Ventura, due to some unpaid debts. Vasquez, then 20, and a 19-year-old David Hampton went to Arambula’s home on June 13, 1998, with a plan to kidnap and extort him for money.