Deputies: Alpine Township murder suspect had multiple aliases
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Fake names and multiple aliases created some obstacles for Kent County sheriff's deputies as they worked to find the man responsible for a shooting north of Grand Rapids that left one woman dead and two others injured.
Gilberto Hernandez-Mendez, 42, is charged with murder and other counts in the shooting that killed 56-year-old Norma Ramirez-Martinez and seriously injured her two adult daughters — one of them Mendez's girlfriend — in Alpine Township early Saturday.
1 killed, 2 seriously hurt in Alpine Twp shooting
A spokesperson with the Kent County Sheriff's Office told News 8 the department had to ask federal agencies for help finding Mendez after it was given a different name.
Documents obtained by News 8 show Mendez has also gone by Kevin Gonzalez, Gerardo Mendez and Arcadio Vargos over the past several years he has been in West Michigan.
'We do know that he resided at that residence (where the shooting happened), the best information that we can tell. And he's resided in the West Michigan area for an extended period of time,' Kent County Undersheriff Bryan Muir said.
One of the aliases associated with Mendez had a deportation history attached to it. Officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement department confirmed that Mendez is a Mexican citizen and has been living in West Michigan illegally.
Man charged with murdering girlfriend's mother, injuring two others
'While he does have a felony on his record, he was 17. He's now 42, so my math tells me that was 25 years ago,' said Craig Haehnel, the defense attorney who represented Mendez at arraignment. 'He's had some misdemeanors, but he has never failed to appear. He's been employed for the past 15 years as a self-employed painter.'
The sheriff's office told News 8 that Mendez was previously deported. It is unclear when and how he made his way back to the states. He is now on immigration hold for ICE at the Kent County jail as he awaits his preliminary hearing in the murder case next month.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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