(WNY News Now) – A 49-year-old Buffalo man has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after a jury convicted him of murder and a weapons charge in connection with a fatal shooting on the city’s West Side in July 2025.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Moises Cortijo, 49, of Buffalo, was sentenced Tuesday, October 13, 2026, before State Supreme Court Justice Debra Givens, according to Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane.

Cortijo received an indeterminate prison sentence of 15 years to life for his role in the shooting death of 35-year-old David Ortiz-Ramos.

Buffalo police responded to a shooting on the 300 block of Busti Avenue at approximately 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, 2025.

Ortiz-Ramos was transported by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the investigation, Cortijo participated in the fatal shooting.

In July 2026, a jury found Cortijo guilty of second-degree murder, a Class A-I felony, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class C violent felony.

The jury reached its verdict after less than two hours of deliberations following a two-day trial. Cortijo was convicted of all counts in the indictment.

The Erie County District Attorney’s Office credited Buffalo Police Department detectives Mark White and Franklyn King, along with other department members, for their work on the investigation.

Chief Christopher S. Safulko of the Major Crimes Bureau and Chief Nicholas Marino of the Raise the Age/Motor Vehicle Theft Insurance Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.