MS-13 member sentenced to 39.5 years for 'crazy revenge plan in America'

On July 12, a member of the notorious MS-13 gang was handed a hefty prison sentence by DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan. Oscar Ramos, 34, was sentenced to 39.5 years behind bars for the murder of a man he believed was responsible for his father's death.

Ramos was initially charged with first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in relation to the fatal shooting of 50-year-old Pedro Melendez Alvarado. He also faced charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for firing at Alvarado's brother-in-law and injuring him.

The crime took place on May 28, 2015, on Interstate 295 North at Exit One in Southwest DC. After a day-and-a-half of deliberations, on April 8, a jury found Ramos guilty of first-degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill while armed. However, he was acquitted of the two possession of a firearm charge, reports DC Witness.

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During the sentencing, a Spanish interpreter was present for Ramos, who holds citizenship in El Salvador and is a known member of the international criminal gang, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), according to the prosecution. The prosecution detailed that on the day of the incident, Alvarado, his 12-year-old son, and his brother-in-law left their homes in Alexandria, Va. to drop Alvarado's son off at school and then head to work.

At this time, three individuals, including Ramos, were in a car that followed Alvarado, as per the prosecution's account. When Alvarado and his brother-in-law were en route to work on I-295, Ramos opened fire on them.

The prosecution revealed that although the brother-in-law survived the shooting, he passed away last year due to unrelated causes. Ramos was driven by a desire to "hunt [Alvarado] down" and kill him, convinced that Alvarado was responsible for his father's death in El Salvador, the prosecution explained. "[Alvarado] is not a killer, not a murderer," they insisted.

The prosecutor clarified that Ramos' belief was utterly unfounded, highlighting that "dedicated" investigators, including some who went to El Salvador, found no credible evidence linking Alvarado to the murder of Ramos' father. To execute his scheme, Ramos reached out to Alvarado on social media, masquerading as a woman, the prosecution detailed. "[Alvarado] had a weakness. He had an eye for the ladies," they commented.

Furthermore, the prosecution described Ramos as an "undocumented foreign national" who had "openly bragged" about being involved in past murders. The prosecution also noted that Ramos was deported from the United States in 2018 but re-entered in 2021, which is when he faced charges for the shooting.

Describing Ramos' actions, the prosecution said he had a "crazy revenge plan in America" and showed "had no care, no remorse for [the victims],". Alvarado's sister penned a statement saying, "Our lives were changed forever," She spoke of the "psychological damage" and the "pain and permanent trauma" she endures following her brother's death.

Alvarado's spouse recounts experiencing adverse emotional, mental, and physical repercussions from the shooting incident. With a child of his own now, Alvarado's mature son lamented, "I have been plagued with questions."

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The young man reflects on losing his father nearly nine years ago when he was only 12. He mournfully revealed his sadness over his father never getting to meet his grandchild. Following the heart-rending statements from the victims' relatives, Defence Lawyer Rachel McCoy placed her case for Ramos to be sentenced to the minimum time of 30 years behind bars. She declared that Ramos has a "fundamental right to hope that he will be able to get out of jail at some point."

McCoy mentioned that despite the verdict, Ramos is adamant about his innocence and plans to challenge the decision. She also pointed out that, despite language constraints, Ramos has not had any disciplinary issues and has utilized programs at the DC Jail.

In conclusion, McCoy requested Judge Raffinan to combine Ramos' sentences concurrently rather than one after the other. Judge Raffinan, reflecting on both parties' submissions, went through the details of the matter, asserting that "through a scheme and plan," Ramos managed to track down Alvarado's location by cunningly "lur[ing] him through social media."

The judge went on to say, "[Ramos] was able to follow and track him down," emphasizing that the fatal shooting took place when Ramos' car came up alongside Alvarado's on the motorway.

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Judge Raffinan also stated that a jury found the prosecution had sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ramos committed the shooting, referring to social media evidence that would alert Ramos of "where [Alvarado] would be at [the] date and time" of the shooting.

Before sentencing Ramos, Judge Raffinan expressed her sympathies to Alvarado's family. Judge Raffinan sentenced Ramos to 30 years for first-degree murder while armed and nine-and-a-half years for assault with intent to kill while armed. The sentences are set to run consecutively.

Upon his release, Ramos will also be under supervised release for five years. "[The] conduct in this case was planned" and "was brazen in that it took place on a highway in broad daylight," concluded Judge Raffinan.

Ramos asserted his right to remain silent during the hearing.

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