In Manatee County Vincente Beltran-Moreno was convicted of kidnapping Clay Moore.
On February 23, 2007 Clay Moore was at his Parrish bus stop. Moore was forced into a maroon pickup truck at gunpoint.
There were 15 other students at the bus stop at the time of the incident. Police think Moore was kidnapped since he was the closest to the road.
Clay Moore was 13 at the time of the kidnapping. He was taken on a Friday morning and he was able to free himself by Friday afternoon. When Moore was kidnapped, he was taken to an area 20 miles away from the kidnapping location and Moore was then bound to a tree.
Moore was gagged and duct-tapped to the tree.
Beltran-Moreno then demanded a ransom for Moore’s return.
But Beltran-Moreno plans failed when Moore was able to escape.
During the 20 mile drive Moore took a safety pin he has in his jacket pocket and put it in his mouth. Once Beltran-Moreno left the area, Clay Moore used that safety pin and his teeth to free himself and run to safety.
Once Moore was able to escape, Beltran-Moreno being the big strong criminal that he is, decided to run. Beltran-Moreno ran all the way to Mexico in hopes of avoiding prosecution for his crimes.
Then the FBI gets involved in the case and on February 28, 2007 the FBI issued a search warrant for Beltran-Moreno. The search warrant would make extradition easier if necessary.
Then in March of 2007 for whatever reason Beltran-Moreno decided to do the right thing and turn himself in. He returned to the States in Texas and was arrested for armed kidnapping and aggravated assault. Armed kidnapping alone in Florida is a first degree felony punishable by life in prison.
Once Beltran-Moreno was back in the area, during a March court date the Judge denied bond for Beltran-Moreno.
Part of the reason the Judge denied bond was the fact that Beltran-Moreno confessed to the crime when he was interviewed by investigators.
Once Beltran-Moreno was arrested the investigation was still underway and police were trying to figure out if there was an accessory to the crime.
And luckily for the investigators on November 29 2007 Ana Pureco Tinoco turned herself in. Tinoco is the girlfriend of Beltran-Moreno. Once she turned herself in, she confessed that she was an accessory in Moore’s kidnapping.
Then during trial, lawyers tried to have Beltran-Moreno’s confession thrown out. Leave it to an attorney to come up with something like a phone confession is not voluntary.
What did the FBI do tell him over the phone that if he did not confess they would beat him? So Beltran-Moreno decided to confess. How could a phone confession not be voluntary? Did the FBI force Beltran-Moreno to stay on the phone and talk to them? I really don’t get lawyers. Because at anytime all Beltran-Moreno had to do was hang up. Of course unless the FBI was right there with him forcing him to talk on the phone and yes I know if the FBI was with him, he would have been arrested on the spot and there would have never been a phone confession to start with.
But none the less the attempts by the lawyers failed.
June 4, 2009 Vincente Ignacio Beltran-Moreno was found guilty of armed kidnapping.
Then on September 11, 2009 Beltran-Moore was sentenced to life in prison.
Now we have to wonder what will happen to the girlfriend. Ana Pureco Tinoco did help the police track Beltran-Moreno down. So we have to wonder if there was some plea deal worked out for her assistance in the case. She was charged as an accessory and she was being held on a $10,000 bond.
Vincente Beltran-Moreno now has the rest of his life to think about the crime he committed. Thankfully parents will not have to worry about him every kidnapping another child…..
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