Last June, I wrote a blog post and article about a seventeen-year-old boy from Pasadena, Texas by the name of Thomas Moses Ramirez. He had reached the unfortunate conclusion that by killing a fifteen-year-old girl who he believed to be interfering with his attempts to reconcile with a girlfriend, he would create the opportunity for love to blossom again. Ramirez found an undercover officer who was posing as a contract killer and offered him $150 and $15 worth of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in return for the murder. Ramirez’s first red flag moment should have been when the officer offered to commit the crime for such a low fee, but apparently that did not emerge as a concern. Yesterday, in a Harris County courtroom, Thomas Ramirez finally learned his fate.
District Judge Ruben Guerrero sentenced the teenager to twenty years in prison after he pleaded guilty to solicitation of capital murder. Perhaps one of the more damaging pieces of evidence was the recording of the exchange between Ramirez and the undercover officer in which Ramirez said, “Just go ahead and stab her in the heart. That’s it.” Ramirez’s attorney, Greg Glass, had requested that his client receive only probation as his punishment due to the fact that he had never been in trouble with the law before and that prison would do nothing except teach him criminal behavior. When the judge instead determined that Ramirez may be sitting behind bars until he reaches his late-30s, his family made their feelings known loudly to everyone present and the bailiff was forced to clear the courtroom.
Ramirez will now need to serve at least half of his sentence before he will be eligible for parole. In the meantime, the girl who was threatened by Ramirez says that she still fears for her life. Perhaps yesterday’s sentencing will finally give her some peace of mind.
There is never a reason to seek out a contract killer to end the life of someone who you believe to be interfering with your happiness. However, even those who make this horrible decision deserve to have thorough and fair representation during their day in court. If you have been accused of this horrible crime, the criminal defense attorneys at Bertolino LLP can help. Please contact our Austin, Houston, or San Antonio office today if you are in need of legal assistance.
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