Casino Criminals Face Up To Life In Prison for Murder

Four men and a woman from the Miami area of Florida have been convicted in the killing of Alvaro Lopez Ramos, a Brinks Security Guard who was performing a routine cash pickup at the Calder Casino and Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida. On August 21, 2011. It was during that cash pick up that Uri Ammar, Reginald Mitchell, Byron Kyler, Vladmimir Louissant and Victoria Barkley set in motion a plan to rob and kill Alvaro Lopez Ramos as he was working.Reginald Mitchell reportedly enlisted the help of his girlfriend Victoria Barkley, Byron Kyler and Vladimir Louissant to help him carry out the crime.

Uri Ammar and Reginald Mitchell were employed as security guards for the casino and knew that Ramos would be showing up for a scheduled pickup around 5 pm that day. Ammar himself was the casino’s security supervisor.The day of the robbery, Louissant reportedly borrowed Kyler’s truck and drove himself and Mitchell to the casino. Kyler had earlier reported his truck missing to throw authorities off his trail.

Police found the getaway truck at a sports hotel in El Palacio. It was later reported that the truck used in the crime was actually stolen from a nearby Walmart parking lot. Four of the five people involved in this crime reportedly saw the Brinks car in the parking lot and followed it to the casino.When Ramos arrived at the casino he was accompanied by Ammar, who led him to Louissant. Standing in an open area of the casino, Louissant proceeded to attack the Brinks guard while armed with a gun. Branding his own weapon, the Brinks guard fought back and suffered wounds to his chest and head. He was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died. Louissant was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital with a wounded leg, where he admitted his crime to police. All five people involved in this incident were arrested by the Violent Crimes Task Force of South Florida.

Loussant told police he stole approximately $345,000 and fled the scene, first in a truck and then in a car which also contained his cohorts in crime, Kyler, Barkley and Mitchell. After the robbery and murder, both Barkley and Mitchell headed to the nearby Seminole Hard Rock Casino, where they gambled with part of the money they had stolen.

 

Before the trial began, everyone involved but Loussant plead guilty. While Kyler first pleaded not guilty, he went on to change his plea. Barley and Kyler could end up in prison for up to 20 years. Mitchell plead guilty to the following crimes:

• possession of a firearm
• robbery conspiracy
• commerce interference

Both Mitchell and Loussant could be sentenced to life in prison when the case goes to trial. It has not been determined when the trial will start.

Suspects in this case alerted police to another similar case of a murdered Brinks guard. Nathaniel Moss, a 32 year old resident of Mirimar, Florida was arrested in the murder of Alejandro Nodarse Arencibia. Moss was reportedly working with others to commit the murder, but all of his accomplices escaped. In October 2011, Moss plead guilty in the death of Arencibia. He also plead guilty of two additional felony charges. This allowed him to sentenced to life in prison rather than being put to death. Police are still looking for Moss’s partner in crime, who is known by authorities simply as “Soldier.” The partner’s real identity is not known.

These two crimes were connected because the two groups of criminals worked together to acquire wealth from both murder victims. The FBI worked both cases.

Updated and Edited By Cathy Roberts – AKA LadyHoldem in 2012