Chief deputy testifies before U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON D.C. — Highlighting the case of a Quincy woman who was reportedly murdered by a group of illegal immigrants, Grant County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Ryan Rectenwald spoke before a U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday on the effects of border insecurity and lax immigration enforcement on American communities.

Rectenwald's testimony took place before the U.S. Senate's Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C.

Calling it the “most dreadful scene” he has ever encountered in his almost 20 years in law enforcement, Rectenwald spoke of the late December murder of 31-year-old Jill Sundberg.

Sundberg's body was found Dec. 22 near a rest area on the Old Vantage Highway, near George. Rectenwald testified investigators were able to learn Sundberg's identity and that she had been kidnapped by five males following an argument at a party.

“She was forced into a vehicle with those five men, driven 10 miles to this remote area, and was executed. The fear and brutality this woman faced during that 10-mile drive, and in the moments prior to her death will forever haunt the case investigators,” Rectenwald told the committee members.

Through their investigation, investigators were able to find and catch the five suspects. The three main suspects, Gustavo Tapia Rodriguez, 39, of Quincy, Ambrosio Mendez Villanueva, 25, of Quincy, and Julio Cesar Albarran Varona, 25, of Quincy, have been charged with first-degree murder. Two other men, Fernando Marcos Gutierrez, 33, of Quincy, and Salvador Espinoza Gomez, 24, city of residence not listed, are charged as material witnesses in connection with the incident.

Rectenwald noted all five of the men are illegal immigrants. He said the alleged shooter in the murder, Tapia Rodriguez, was previously deported in May 2007 after his first felony conviction and illegally re-entered the U.S. He was arrested again in June 2013 on felony assault charges in Grant County. Rectenwald said Tapia Rodriguez served his sentence and was released to immigration officials in January 2014. Before his deportation hearing, Tapia Rodriguez was able to post bail in March 2014 and never showed up for the hearing.

“No failure to appear warrants were ever issued. He was then later re-arrested in September 2015 in our county on a new domestic violence assault charge. That's not how legal residents are treated when they miss court dates; you and I would have had warrants issued for our arrest,” Rectenwald told lawmakers.

“Meanwhile, after the shooter returned to our community, local law enforcement had numerous opportunities to bring him back into custody during unrelated contacts, but due to the fact that no federal warrants were ever issued, he was never arrested.”

The chief deputy stated that after they are convicted of a felony, an illegal immigrant should not be allowed to “bail out” of an immigration hearing. He said if they bolt, warrants should be issued and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and local law enforcement officers should be able to pick them up.

“Now, I realize that this may present administrative and budgetary concerns, but we need easier access to the bad guys. This isn't about illegal immigrants who reside in our communities peacefully alongside us,” Rectenwald stated. “Allowing us these tools would help us distinguish between the truly law-abiding and those whose existence is to harm through violence or drug distribution via enabling policies and practices.”

“This certainly is not justice.”

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.