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Ewing Man indicted for murder

Carlos Ortiz

A Mercer County grand jury returned a seven-count indictment yesterday charging a Ewing man with killing his girlfriend last August.

Carlos Ortiz, 51, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree aggravated assault, two counts of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, two counts of fourth degree unlawful possession of a weapon and third-degree theft by unlawful taking. He remains in jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

Ewing police responded to a residence on Ewingville Road just before 3 a.m. on August 17, 2016, to perform a welfare check after receiving a call. Upon arrival, police found Rufina Castro, 51, dead in her bedroom. An investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Ewing Police Department revealed that Ortiz and Castro got into an argument at her home on the prior day. Ortiz hit Castro in the head with a glass beer bottle and then strangled her with a cell phone charging cord.