Where Are The Kidnappers Christopher Huggins and Robert Ortiz Now?
After three guys brutally broke into Michelle Renee’s home, she was forced to rob a bank in order to save her kid. Michelle Renee never could have anticipated that her attempt to save her daughter would lead to allegations being made against her.1
After all, as discussed in the episode of ’48 Hours: The Kidnapping of Michelle and Breea Renee’ that was aired on CBS, once the people responsible for the kidnapping of Michelle and Breea Renee were caught, some people believed that the mother had been involved in the crime from the very beginning.
However, if you are only interested in learning more about two of the attackers in particular, Christopher “Chris” Michael Huggins and Robert Arthur Ortiz, who were both 26 years old at the time of the attack, we have the information that you need.
Also Read: Where Is The Kidnapping Survivor Michelle Renee Now?
Table of Contents
Christopher Huggins: Where Is He Now?
- From what we can learn, Chris was not only the chief culprit Christopher Butler’s downstairs neighbor, but he was also the muscleman within the group. Christopher Butler and his then-fiancée Lisa Ramirez’s neighbor at the time was Chris.
- Because of this, it appeared as though he was involved in almost every element of this offense, whether it was determining their range, scouting out their target bank, or tracking Michelle when she was identified as their prey.2
- According to the records from the court, he was the one who, on the tragic evening of November 21, 2000, grabbed their principal victim by the back of her neck and then slammed her directly onto the floor.
- According to the official documents, when the Renee family’s female roommate returned to their residence in San Diego County around 11 o’clock at night, Chris once again took the initiative to subdue and secure her.
- He grabbed her from behind, slapped his hand over her mouth, forced her down to the ground, and then quickly used duct tape to bind both her hands and feet with the assistance of Robert Otiz.
- All of this happened in a matter of moments. Nevertheless, when the time came, it was Christopher who departed with Michelle to take care of the actual heist, which was worth 360 thousand dollars, while he and his partner remained behind to supervise their other victims.
- In the end, Chris and Robert fled the scene together in the roommate’s vehicle. At the time, Chris was unaware that his own girlfriend would report him to the police for his involvement in the incident that occurred in December 2000.
- Because of this, the FBI was able to collect $93,100 from his residence, which represented a portion of his share of the stolen cash, and give it back to the Bank of America practically as soon as he stood trial for the charges that were brought against him.
- In the end, Chris was found guilty of conspiracy, kidnapping for robbery, two counts of kidnapping for ransom, two counts of robbery in concert, and burglary of an inhabited house in the year 2003. All of these charges were brought against Chris.
- After that, he was found guilty and given three consecutive life sentences in addition to an additional 32 years, all of which he is currently spending at the San Quentin State Prison in San Francisco, California, which is a maximum-security facility. When September of 2024 rolls around, he will be eligible for parole.
Also Read: Where Is kidnapping survivor “Breea Renee” Now?
Where is Robert Ortiz Now?
According to the reports, Robert entered the scene through Chris Huggins not only as a friend but also as someone who had access to firearms, which the group considered to be vital in this theft. Chris Huggins was the one who brought Robert into the picture.
As a result, it should not come as a surprise that he even stood apart during the commission of this felony, as he was the only one who pointed a gun at Michelle’s head after the break-in and then ordered her not to move or speak during the ordeal.
Robert Ortiz: Girlfriend
On top of all of that, Robert invited his girlfriend’s Rottweiler into the house of the people who were going to be killed and informed them that the dog had been trained to kill, which meant that any movement or attempt to flee would result in the dog’s killing them.
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It shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise that he immediately fled the scene after being given his portion of the money, but fortunately, he was captured in Milwaukee on February 20, 2001, shortly after being featured on an episode of ‘America’s Most Wanted.’
This time around, the FBI was successful in recovering $32,855 from a safe that was located inside of his apartment; the entirety of this sum was eventually given back to the Bank of America as well.
Concerning the state of Robert’s legal standing, it would appear that he and Chris Huggins went to trial at the same time in 2003, which resulted in Robert receiving the exact same conviction and sentence as Chris Huggins did at the time.
Also Read: Christopher Butler and Lisa Ramirez: Where Are Michelle Renee’s Kidnappers Now?
Life Sentences Of Christopher Huggins and Robert Ortiz
A judge sentenced him to three consecutive life sentences in addition to an additional 32 years in prison for conspiracy, kidnapping for robbery, two counts of kidnapping for ransom, two counts of robbery in concert, and burglary of an inhabited dwelling.3
Regrettably, however, very few to no details regarding his current standing are currently available; however, the absence of his name in the records of the active State Department of Corrections suggests that he was likely released on parole within the past few months.
