Warrenton man found guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action

By Jack Underwood, Staff Writer

A Warren County jury found Miguel Ortega, 48, of Warrenton, guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action on Oct. 17.

Ortega shot and killed his ex-wife, Maria Vargas, in a Warrenton home in May 2021. The two had recently broken up and Ortega drove to the house after they argued on the phone, according to police.

Ortega’s sentencing is scheduled for December 3. Prosecutor Hannah Dunakey said her office would seek a life sentence without parole.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found Ortega inside the home near the front door with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The injury was not life-threatening. Police then found Vargas in the bedroom of the home with a fatal gunshot wound and multiple knife wounds. According to police, two teenagers were in the apartment at the time of the murder and witnessed the crime.

Previously, Ortega’s lawyers had planned to argue that he was not guilty due to mental illness or intellectual disability, according to previous reports from the Record.

Instead, Dunakey said, Ortega’s lawyers argued that his crime was one of “sudden passion” and not premeditated murder.

Using the sudden passion argument, Ortega’s lawyers argued that he instead acted out of intense emotions. They pleaded to the lesser charge of second-degree murder.

Dunakey was able to successfully argue that his actions were premeditated and that he committed first-degree murder.

“Our argument was that he had time to reflect on his decision to kill her, which supports a finding of first-degree murder,” Dunakey said.

Matthew Radefeld, Ortega’s lawyer, said the family and Mr. Ortega were disappointed by the verdict and planned to appeal.

However, Radefeld was unsure whether he would continue to serve as Ortega’s legal counsel.

Dunakey was pleased they were able to return a guilty verdict for the family and praised Assistant District Attorney Rachel Smith, who served as lead prosecutor in the case, for her exceptional work.

“It’s really just jealousy and control and exactly what we often see as the vicious cycle of domestic violence, and unfortunately it ended with her murder,” Dunakey said. “So we’re just reminded of how seriously we need to take domestic violence cases before they reach this level.”