# Henchman behind California restaurant owner’s botched kidnapping murder sentenced 28 years later

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/henchman-behind-california-restaurant-owners-botched-kidnapping-murder-sentenced-28-years-later/
- Published: 2026-11-05T15:30:26+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T16:58:00+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/05/us-news/man-behind-socal-restauranteurs-botched-kidnapping-murder-sentenced/
- Topics: Culture, Food, World

## Key points

- Manuel Vasquez received 25 years to life for his role in a 1998 murder.
- He was arrested in Mexico in 2023 after evading authorities for decades.
- The other two men involved were sentenced in 1999.

## Summary

Manuel Vasquez has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his role in the 1998 killing of Felipe Arambula, a Ventura County restaurant owner. The sentence concludes a case in which Vasquez evaded arrest for decades and was the last of three men involved to face sentencing.

Vasquez and David Hampton went to Arambula’s home intending to kidnap and extort him over unpaid debts, on the orders of local poker-club owner Jose Alberto Vasquez. Arambula was away, so they took his wife and children captive; when he returned and fought them, Hampton shot him dead. Hampton and Jose Alberto Vasquez were sentenced to life without parole in 1999. Manuel Vasquez was arrested in Mexico in 2023, extradited the following year and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in September; he was also ordered to pay restitution to members of the family.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.