'Baby Brandon' kidnapping ringleader sentenced to 13 years
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A couple who admitted to abducting a newborn from his mother's home in San Jose was sentenced Monday to prison.
A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge sentenced Yesenia Ramirez, 44, to 13 years behind bars. Her co-defendant Jose Portillo, 29, was sentenced to five years.
Ramirez and Portillo had previously agreed to an offer from the court, which meant they would not get the maximum amount of prison time they could have received. As a result, they did stand trial.
The pair pleaded guilty in the summer to kidnapping a 3-month-old baby named Brandon in April 2022 from his mother's home.
Brandon’s grandmother reported the kidnapping on April 24. San Jose police found the baby within 24 hours at a home near Regional Medical Center and returned him to his mother.
Featured
Couple pleads guilty to 'Baby Brandon' kidnapping case
A couple accused in the kidnapping of ‘Baby Brandon’ in San Jose last April pleaded guilty in court on Tuesday.
Investigators said Ramirez orchestrated the plan, and Portillo helped her by actually taking the baby.
Prosecutors said Ramirez wanted to raise the baby as her own with the help of her romantic partner, Portillo.