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Kennie Mota-Cruz, 29, of Worcester, was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Jose Ortiz in 2018 after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder last week after a four-day trial, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office said.
Mota-Cruz was accused of shooting Ortiz in the head in the Bell Hill neighborhood on Aug. 24, 2018. Police arrived at 15 Everard St. home just before 7:45 p.m. and found Ortiz in a third-story apartment bleeding from a bullet wound.
Prosecutors said Ortiz was selling drugs for Mota-Cruz and owed his boss money, which motivated the murder, per MassLive. Mota-Cruz fled the state after the shooting and was arrested in Dunkirk, NY, in September 2018, officials said.
Worcester DA Joseph Early Jr. thanked Assistant District Attorneys Shayna Woodard and Brett Dillon and the Worcester detectives for helping them secure the verdict.
“It is my hope that this verdict helps bring some closure to the family of Mr. Ortiz,” Early said in a news release.
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