An Albert Lea man has been handed a nearly 40-year sentence for killing one man and wounding another in a dispute over stolen methamphetamine.
Ben Vidal Moreno, 34, was sentenced in Freeborn County District Court after a jury convicted him in March of second-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with the killing of Juan Vasquez Jr., 45, and the wounding of Marco Posada, 46, both of Albert Lea, at a rural property south of the city on Aug. 9, 2022.
With credit for time served since his arrest, Moreno is expected to serve the first 24¾ years of his term in prison and the balance on supervised release.
Moreno fired buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun multiple times into an SUV occupied by Vasquez and Posada, according to charges in the case. Vasquez walked toward Moreno, who armed himself with a rifle after having emptied his shotgun.
Moreno shot Vasquez in the chest and fled to Iowa, where he was captured more than a day later about 40 miles south of Albert Lea just outside Forest City, according to officials.
Vasquez and Moreno had previously exchanged threats to kill each other over a dispute involving Moreno stealing methamphetamine, according to the charges.
