Missing man charged in Bellevue teen's death

Missing man charged in Bellevue teen's death

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By KOMO Staff

KING COUNTY, Wash. -- Investigators are on the hunt for a 20-year-old man wanted in the stabbing death of a Bellevue student.

Prosecutors have charged Jose A. Ruiz-Antonio with second-degree murder in the death of Ivan Hernandez-Vazquez, a student at Bellevue's Interlake High School.

The teen's body was found in an alley on the morning of May 22. Investigators believe the body had been driven there and dumped.

Ruiz-Antonio had been the last person to be seen with the victim, according to the document of probable cause. The victim's roommates told police he was last seen leaving with an acquaintance named "Jose" around 4:30 p.m. on May 21.

When questioned, Ruiz-Antonio told detectives he had picked up Hernandez-Vazquez at his apartment around 2 p.m. in his green Kia Sephia, according to the document. Ruiz-Antonio owns two cars, the Kia and a black 1997 Honda Civic.

Ruiz-Antonio said the two spent several hours walking around Redmond Town Center. After their visit to the shopping mall, he said he drove Hernandez-Vazquez back to Bellevue and dropped him off near a Sears store in the Overlake. That was the last time he saw his friend, Ruiz-Antonio told investigators.

Ruiz-Antonio said he then drove around Seattle for a few hours before returning to his home in the 800 block of North 130th Street around midnight, the document states.

But a record of cell phone tower information places Ruiz-Antonio outside of the city limits during that time, investigators said. According to the records, after 11 p.m. on May 21, Ruiz-Antonio's phone utilized towers in Machias, Anacortes, Everett and Kirkland. A tower by his home was not used until 2:28 a.m.

Meanwhile, bank records place Hernandez-Vazquez at a Bank of America branch in Redmond around 3:38 p.m. when he withdrew $560 from his savings account. The bank teller told investigators the man had come alone and said he planned to wire $1,000 to a relative in Mexico from a La Quemada store in Redmond. The store has no record of any such activity, investigators said.

Hernandez-Vazquez was missing his wallet, money and cell phone when he was found dead, according to the document.

Ruiz-Antonio was questioned by detectives on the night of May 22. Later that day, his roommate contacted investigators and said he had left town.

Detectives issued a nationwide alert for Ruiz-Antonio. On June 22, a 911 call led to the discovery of Ruiz-Antonio's Civic which was covered with dried blood everywhere but the passenger seat. A DNA test confirmed the blood to be that of the victim.

Ruiz-Antonio remains at large. He is believed to have fled the area. An arrest warrant has been issued.

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