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Police: Norwalk Murder Victim, Suspect Knew Each Other

NORWALK, Conn. -- The cab driver who was stabbed and killed Monday in his taxi on Grove Street knew the man who has been charged with his murder, Norwalk police said Friday morning.

Ramiro Arcos Garcia, 32, of Elizabeth, N.J. was charged Friday with the murder of 51 year-old cab driver Jackson Pierre-Louis in Norwalk Monday morning.

Ramiro Arcos Garcia, 32, of Elizabeth, N.J. was charged Friday with the murder of 51 year-old cab driver Jackson Pierre-Louis in Norwalk Monday morning.

Photo Credit: Norwalk Police Department
Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik and investigators in the murder case announce the arrest of Garcia at a press conference Friday.

Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik and investigators in the murder case announce the arrest of Garcia at a press conference Friday.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue

Ramiro Arcos Garcia, 32, of Elizabeth, N.J., was arrested and charged Friday with the murder of Jackson Pierre-Louis, 51, a Bridgeport man who worked as a taxi driver for Norwalk Yellow Cab Inc. Garcia is being held on $2.5 million bond and will be arraigned later Friday.

"Upon his arrest, the suspect provided investigators a full confession during his interview," Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik said during a press conference Friday morning.

Although Garcia's address is listed as in New Jersey, he had spent considerable time in Norwalk and had friends here, Kulhawik said. Garcia was arrested in Norwalk, police said. 

Although police could not provide many details about the motive behind the stabbing, the police chief said that Garcia and Pierre-Louis were friends and that they had a dispute in the front seat of Pierre-Louis's cab shortly after midnight Monday, which led to the stabbing.

"We wanted to point out this was not a random act. We learned that the suspect and the victim knew each other,. The investigation's continuing as further interviews and statements need to be taken. As such we're not able to provide further details as to the motive at this time," Kulhawik said.

Investigators also learned that Garcia is wanted by the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office in West Virginia on charges of kidnapping, felonious assault and car jacking. Police were not able to provide details Friday about those charges, but are in contact with West Virginia authorities.

Garcia is the only suspect in the murder, Kulhawik said, and was identified as a suspect within 24 hours. Police have recovered the knife used in the stabbing. Pierre-Louis was stabbed twice in the torso, once in the arm and once in the neck, police said. He called 911 after crashing into a parked car. 

Assistance from the community was vital in identifying the suspect quickly and gaining information that led to his arrest, Kulhawik said.

"A lot of members of the community and business owners assisted with a lot of information, both through video and surveillance that we were able monitor and by physically talking to them, giving us information on the suspect," he said.

Pierre-Louis had been an employee of Norwalk Yellow Cab for about six months. He was married and had four children. Detective Dominick Cisero informed the family of Garcia's arrest about 6 a.m. Friday.

"They said they were thankful, they said thank you for your hard work, but obviously they're still in mourning," Cisero said.

Many Norwalk cab drivers were scared after the murder, Kulhawik acknowledged, but he emphasized that this was the result of a dispute between two people who knew each other.

"It's a dangerous profession, without a doubt," he said. "The reason we wanted to get the word out here is because this was not an attempt at robbery, this was not a random act, this wasn't a fare that was picked up and arbitrarily attacked the driver. I think that's the positive in this, if there is any, and I think that should make the cabbies feel a little at ease that this wasn't just a random act that occurred. But they need to be one their toes when they're out there, you never know who you're picking up."

Mayor Harry Rilling praised the work of the police department and the investigators, and thanked members of the community who provided information.

"The police department, being the professional agency they are, they left no stone unturned. They worked very, very diligently, in many cases around the clock," Rilling said. "The chief was in constant contact with me, making me aware of where the investigation was going. The suspect was developed early on, and they kept pursuing the leads, working with the community and as a result they brought closure to this case."

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