Southern Minnesota man sentenced in 2022 drug-related murder

Albert Lea, MN (KROC-AM News) – An Albert Lea man was sentenced today in a fatal shooting.

Ben Vidal Moreno, 34 years old was convicted of three counts of second-degree murder and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm during his trial in March. The charges stemmed from the death of Juan Vasquez Jr, 45 years old. at a rural property near Albert Lea in August 2022.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, Moreno was accused of stealing a package of drugs that was supposed to have been delivered to the victim. The court document states that before the fatal shooting, the two men exchanged death threats during confrontations in the weeks following the incident involving the stolen package.

The charges alleged that, about an hour before the killing, Vasquez went to the property where he was killed and “yelled” for Moreno. It was alleged that Vasquez fired two shots from a handgun at Moreno, but the bullets missed. Following this, Vasquez and another man left the property and went to a casino in northern Iowa.

According to the criminal complaint, the two men later returned and were greeted by gunfire that struck their vehicle. The court document says investigators found evidence suggesting the vehicle had been struck by a shotgun bullet, causing significant damage and puncturing the tires.

At that point, witnesses told investigators that Vasquez walked down the driveway with a handgun in his pocket and yelled at Moreno, who responded by fatally shooting Vasquez with a rifle. Moreno then fled the crime scene and was later arrested at a home near Forest City, Iowa.

Evidence listed in the complaint also included recordings of telephone conversations from the Freeborn County Jail in which Moreno became involved in the crime.

He was sentenced today to nearly 40 years in prison, counting from the 659 days he has already spent in prison since his arrest.