27-year-old Andres Ramirez has been found guilty of murder in the case of the shooting death of Lorenzo Perez. The verdict was delivered by the jury, acknowledging Ramirez's mental illness but determining him culpable for the crime. The presiding judge has sentenced Ramirez to 30 years in prison.
The events unfolded on June 30, 2022, when a group of friends gathered outside a home in Dallas to celebrate the purchase of a new car.
The victim, Lorenzo Perez had assisted another friend, who used a wheelchair, in getting outside. Without any apparent provocation, Ramirez, in a paranoid delusion, stole a gun from Perez's waistband, firing two shots and attempting to strangle him.
Following the attack, the victim's friends rushed Perez to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Ramirez and his family attempted to conceal evidence by hiding the blood-stained clothes in a neighbor's backyard. Additionally, Ramirez was hidden in a hotel.
Despite meeting with the police later on, Ramirez showed no remorse for the murder and did not confess to the shooting.
The jury took into account his mental illness and recognized that he lacked a violent criminal history, determining that he was not inherently an evil person. However, the gravity of the crime led to a guilty verdict.
The judge subsequently imposed a 30-year prison sentence as the punishment for Ramirez's actions.