New Charges Brought in Slaying of Restaurateur

As prosecutors slapped down a series of new charges, two men suspected in the bungled kidnapping of a popular Ventura restaurant owner pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and related offenses.

Jose Alberto Vazquez, 37, and William David Hampton Jr., 19, are each charged with murder, attempted kidnapping, burglary, false imprisonment and weapons violations for their alleged roles in the slaying of Felipe Arambula.

The 35-year-old owner of Taqueria Vallarta, a small eatery tucked into the 200 block of Main Street, was shot to death June 13.

Police say Arambula was killed while trying to fight off two would-be kidnappers who had broken into his home in the upscale Clearpoint neighborhood and held his wife, Yazmin, captive until he came home.

Vazquez, the owner of a local card club, is described by authorities as the mastermind behind the kidnapping plot. Police say he hired Hampton and a second suspect, 20-year-old Manuel Vazquez, to kidnap Arambula.

Authorities have been tight-lipped about a possible motive and are still searching for the second suspect, who disappeared after the slaying.

Ventura police detectives have said they do not know where Arambula was to be taken or whether a ransom demand was to be made.

Both Vazquez and Hampton left Ventura after the slaying. Vazquez and his wife, Monica, were picked up by border patrol officers near Mexico and turned over to local police.

Hampton was apprehended in Texas in August and extradited to Ventura County. Both men are being held at the county jail without bail.

On Wednesday, prosecutors filed an amended complaint charging Jose Vazquez and Hampton with murder plus two special-circumstance allegations that make both men eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

The allegations are that Vazquez, a Camarillo resident, and Hampton, of Casitas Springs, killed Arambula during the commission of two crimes: attempted kidnapping and residential burglary.

The two men are separately charged with those offenses as well as false imprisonment of Arambula’s wife, and the illegal use of a stun gun on her.

Prosecutors say Hampton wielded the 9-millimeter gun that killed Arambula.

Although Vazquez is not believed to have been at the scene of the killing, he is charged with the same offenses because authorities believe he plotted the crime that ultimately led to Arambula’s slaying.

Standing behind a caged partition in Ventura County Municipal Court on Wednesday afternoon, Hampton, who is being represented by county public defenders, was the first to enter not guilty pleas.

“We also would like to enter not guilty pleas to the charges and deny the allegations,” said attorney Steven Andrade, representing Vazquez.

Relatives of the slain restaurant owner who were in court declined comment.

A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 9, at which time more detailed information is expected to be released.

Prosecutors Bob Calvert and Richard Simon said a decision as to whether the death penalty will be sought will not be made until after the preliminary hearing.