An El Paso jury is now deciding the fate of a man charged with murder in the double-fatal stabbing of his elderly aunt and girlfriend on Christmas Day after hearing testimony from dozens of witnesses for more than a week.
A jury of eight women and four men began deliberations Wednesday, Aug. 25, to determine if Gabriel Antonio Ramirez is guilty of killing his 24-year-old girlfriend Kathia Rosales and his 79-year-old aunt Irma Ramirez on Christmas Day 2022.
Ramirez is facing one count each of capital murder and murder. He would receive an automatic life sentence if he is convicted of capital murder because the El Paso District Attorney's Office is not seeking the death penalty.
Prosecutors focused their closing arguments on the gruesome crime and
a supposedly rejected marriage proposal that led to the killings. Defense attorneys argued that Gabriel Ramirez claimed Rosales killed his aunt and herself as she believed she could talk to God and they needed to repent. Ramirez also testified that Rosales urged him to take his own life.
The trial began on Aug. 17. Judge Patricia C. Baca of the 346th District Court is presiding over the trial at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in Downtown El Paso.
Attorneys Francisco F. Macias and Luis Yañez are representing Gabriel Ramirez. Assistant District Attorneys Josh Avila and Hassan Hassan are prosecuting the case for the El Paso District Attorney's Office.
Key testimony presented during El Paso double-murder trial
State prosecutors laid out a bloody, gruesome murder that left Irma Ramirez to die on her living room floor and Rosales' body was found hours later in a state of rigor mortis in the back of a vehicle.
Photos were shown of the horrific crime, including Irma Ramirez dying in a pool of her blood and vomit next to the knife used to kill her. Prosecutors also showed photos of Rosales' body found in a car with her intestines protruding through a massive cut on her abdomen.
Jurors also listened to a frantic 911 call made by Irma Ramirez as she pleaded with 911 emergency dispatchers to send police as she was being attacked. The call ends as she screams for help one last time.
Prosecutors alleged Gabriel Ramirez committed the murders in a rage of anger as Rosales turned down his marriage proposal.
Gabriel Ramirez and his defense attorneys painted a different picture.
They described two people battling methamphetamine addictions and mental health issues. They claimed Rosales believed she could talk to God. They added that Rosales believed she and Gabriel Ramirez needed to kill his aunt and themselves for repentance after a two-week romance fueled by meth.
During his testimony, Gabriel Ramirez said he and Rosales started dating two weeks before the homicides and would take meth every day. He said he believed the couple shared telepathic abilities to read each other's minds.
Rosales left his room on Dec. 25, 2022, and went to the kitchen. The next thing he knew, he heard his aunt scream and Rosales come back with a knife, he testified. Gabriel Ramirez claimed Rosales gave him the knife and told him where to stab her.
He testified he wasn't able to do it, so Rosales grabbed his hands with the knife and pushed it into her stomach. They then heard sirens and fled the house in his aunt's car. Rosales died in the car and Gabriel Ramirez attempted to take his own life, stating, "I wanted to die with Kat."
El Paso Christmas Day double murder
El Paso police responded to a report of a stabbing about 5 p.m. Dec. 25, 2022, at a home in the 3700 block of Truman Avenue in Central El Paso. Officers found Irma Ramirez with multiple stab wounds.
Police received another 911 call, reporting an injured person about 4 p.m. Dec. 26, 2022, in the 500 block of Gregory Avenue in the Kern Place neighborhood in West El Paso. Officers found Gabriel Ramirez bleeding profusely from self-inflicted cuts to his neck and wrists in the front yard of a house.
An El Paso Fire Department firefighter noticed a body in a nearby car with someone lying in the back seat. He opened the car door to find Rosales' body.
Gabriel Ramirez was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries. He was released from the hospital and arrested on a capital murder charge. He was booked into the El Paso County jail on Dec. 31, 2022, on a $1.5 million bond. He remained jailed awaiting trial.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Verdict nears in El Paso Christmas Day fatal stabbings trial
